The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Shares Sold by Congress Asset Management Co.

Congress Asset Management Co. lowered its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 396,254 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 3,208 shares during the quarter. Home Depot makes up 1.1% of Congress Asset Management Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Congress Asset Management Co.'s holdings in Home Depot were worth $145,223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc increased its stake in Home Depot by 65.2% during the 4th quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 9,100 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,535,000 after buying an additional 3,590 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Management Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Home Depot by 0.6% during the first quarter. Wealth Management Partners LLC now owns 6,506 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $2,384,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Home Depot by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 23,758 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $9,242,000 after purchasing an additional 3,873 shares during the last quarter. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at $409,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth $3,193,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Gordon Haskett increased their target price on shares of Home Depot from $350.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $415.00 price objective (up previously from $410.00) on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $470.00 to $450.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Home Depot from $445.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised Home Depot from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $405.00 to $425.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Seven investment 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.com, Home Depot has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $426.77.

Home Depot Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:HD traded up $2.95 on Tuesday, reaching $368.15. 3,014,068 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,410,933. The firm has a market capitalization of $366.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.02. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $326.31 and a 52-week high of $439.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The business has a fifty day moving average of $361.75 and a 200-day moving average of $383.94.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.59 by ($0.03). Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The business had revenue of $39.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.63 earnings per share. Home Depot's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a $2.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.