Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 708,039 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $275,420,000. Home Depot comprises approximately 0.5% of Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.07% of Home Depot as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Home Depot by 220.0% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 96 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of HD traded down $0.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $367.85. The company had a trading volume of 4,110,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,433,492. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $360.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $386.04. 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 has a market capitalization of $365.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.99, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $39.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.63 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Home Depot news, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,600 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,919,130.14. This trade represents a 24.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 5,406 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,367 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,413,285.76. The trade was a 23.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $415.00 price objective (up from $410.00) on shares of Home Depot in a research 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 on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $461.00 to $456.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Home Depot from $393.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Home Depot from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $405.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Home Depot currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $426.77.

Home Depot 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.