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

Congress Asset Management Co. lessened its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. 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 about 1.1% of Congress Asset Management Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Congress Asset Management Co.'s holdings in Home Depot were worth $145,223,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HD. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 96 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HD. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $415.00 target price (up previously from $410.00) on shares of Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $424.00 to $399.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $398.00 price objective (up previously from $380.00) on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Home Depot from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $461.00 to $456.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Home Depot presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $426.77.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

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

Home Depot Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of HD opened at $367.45 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $365.59 billion, a PE ratio of 24.96, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.02. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1 year low of $323.93 and a 1 year high of $439.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $361.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $384.72.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.59 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $39.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.24 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.63 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.42%.

Home Depot Company Profile

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.

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