The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC lowered its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 1.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,074 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 925 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC's holdings in Home Depot were worth $27,514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HD. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at $5,032,910,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 39,194.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,236,903 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $37,517,230,000 after purchasing an additional 10,210,851 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at $2,212,546,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 21,394.9% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,039,862 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $793,486,000 after purchasing an additional 2,030,372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Home Depot by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 12,149,890 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,726,186,000 after purchasing an additional 1,424,857 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Home Depot news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 5,406 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,367 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,413,285.76. This 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 the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.14, for a total value of $954,564.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,951 shares of the company's stock, 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. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HD shares. Gordon Haskett lifted their target price on Home Depot from $350.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Home Depot from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $405.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Home Depot from $461.00 to $456.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Evercore ISI set a $400.00 price target on Home Depot and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $426.77.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD traded up $2.53 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $362.99. The company had a trading volume of 2,918,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,405,620. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $361.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.66, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $361.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $383.78.

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

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.