The Home Depot, Inc. $HD Shares Sold by AMF Tjanstepension AB

Key Points

• AMF Tjanstepension AB sharply reduced its Home Depot stake by 78.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 46,233 shares and leaving it with 12,443 shares worth about $4.28 million.
• Home Depot continues to attract heavy institutional ownership, with hedge funds and other investors holding about 70.86% of the stock; meanwhile, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares in a disclosed insider transaction.
• The company is facing a mixed outlook ahead of earnings: analysts remain split, with some bullish on improving fundamentals, while others warn of sluggish demand and possible full-year guidance cuts. Home Depot recently beat quarterly EPS estimates and also raised its dividend to $2.33 per share quarterly.

AMF Tjanstepension AB trimmed its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 78.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,443 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 46,233 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB's holdings in Home Depot were worth $4,282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HD. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Home Depot by 60.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,143,089 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,109,878,000 after buying an additional 3,836,051 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Home Depot by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 99,635,779 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $34,284,672,000 after buying an additional 1,325,748 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Home Depot by 37.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,806,308 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,542,278,000 after buying an additional 1,040,577 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Home Depot by 215.4% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,248,615 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $429,648,000 after buying an additional 852,719 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at $284,893,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total value of $940,669.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 44,566 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,439,951.74. The trade was a 5.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Home Depot News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Home Depot this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts still see upside potential, with Barclays remaining constructive on Home Depot amid improving fundamentals and easier comparisons, while other commentary suggests the company could benefit if housing activity stabilizes. Barclays Bullish on Home Depot Inc. (HD) amid Improving Fundamentals and Comparisons
• Positive Sentiment: Several previews argue the upcoming earnings report could reveal stronger-than-expected performance and potentially reset expectations higher if Home Depot shows resilience in sales and profitability. Home Depot's Next Earnings Report on May 19 Could Send the Stock Soaring. Here's Why.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street expects a big post-earnings move, with options traders pricing in a sizable swing around the results, but that reflects uncertainty rather than a clear directional catalyst. Home Depot (HD) Stock Options Traders Are Pricing In a $15 Price Swing after Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler said demand trends remain sluggish and trimmed its price target slightly, reinforcing concerns that Home Depot’s near-term sales growth could stay muted. Home Depot (HD) Faces Sluggish Demand Trends, Says Piper Sandler
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer cut its price target sharply to $310 and moved to a market-perform rating, signaling more caution ahead of earnings as investors worry about housing weakness and consumer pressure. Semi And Options Mania Collide With Bond Rout Ahead Of Earnings From Nvidia, Home Depot, Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple previews say Home Depot may lower full-year guidance when it reports, which would likely pressure the stock if management confirms softer demand and margin headwinds. Home Depot, Lowe's Seen Trimming Full-Year Outlook as Macro Pressures Build, Oppenheimer Says

Home Depot Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:HD opened at $299.98 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $298.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $296.88 and a 52-week high of $426.75. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $330.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $353.57.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.20. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.The business had revenue of $38.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.13 EPS. The business's revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a $2.33 dividend. This represents a $9.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This is a positive change from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $375.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Home Depot from $422.00 to $421.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $374.00 target price on the stock. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Home Depot has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $401.34.

About Home Depot

The Home Depot, Inc NYSE: HD is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and an integrated online platform offering a broad range of products and services for do-it-yourself consumers, professional contractors and businesses. The company was founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since opening its first stores at the end of the 1970s, Home Depot has grown into a multinational retailer known for its orange-branded stores and wide assortment of home improvement merchandise.

Home Depot's core business includes the sale of building materials, lumber, tools, hardware, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn and garden products, and home décor.

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