Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 47,458 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Bessemer Group Inc. lessened its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 7.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 580,044 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 47,458 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Home Depot worth $212,580,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Home Depot by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 563 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Sollinda Capital Management LLC increased its position in Home Depot by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Sollinda Capital Management LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. now owns 2,137 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $831,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Invst LLC boosted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 6,738 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $2,621,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC grew its holdings in Home Depot by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC now owns 1,484 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $577,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $445.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. KGI Securities raised shares of Home Depot to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Gordon Haskett increased their price objective on Home Depot from $350.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Home Depot from $424.00 to $399.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $426.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In other news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 5,406 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.28, for a total transaction of $1,996,327.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,413,285.76. This trade represents a 23.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.14, for a total value of $954,564.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,951 shares in the company, valued at $2,919,130.14. The trade was a 24.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE HD traded up $1.84 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $363.70. The company had a trading volume of 3,184,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,421,245. The stock has a market cap of $361.85 billion, a PE ratio of 23.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 1.02. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $326.31 and a one year high of $439.37. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $363.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $378.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.95.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.59 by ($0.03). Home Depot had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 242.51%. The company had revenue of $39.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.24 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.63 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th were issued a $2.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.42%.

About Home Depot

The Home Depot, Inc operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States and internationally. It sells various building materials, home improvement products, lawn and garden products, and décor products, as well as facilities maintenance, repair, and operations products. The company also offers installation services for flooring, water heaters, bath, garage doors, cabinets, cabinet makeovers, countertops, sheds, furnaces and central air systems, and windows.