Viking Fund Management LLC Buys 3,000 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Viking Fund Management LLC raised its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 13.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,000 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for 1.4% of Viking Fund Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Viking Fund Management LLC's holdings in Home Depot were worth $9,529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HD. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings 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 last quarter. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Home Depot from $445.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $461.00 to $456.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $426.77.

Home Depot Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE HD traded down $3.43 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $368.97. The stock had a trading volume of 2,320,262 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,408,050. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $361.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $385.28. 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 firm has a market cap of $367.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The business had revenue of $39.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.63 earnings per share. Home Depot's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. Home Depot's payout ratio is currently 62.42%.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

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 transaction of $1,996,327.68. Following the completion of 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 at 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 shares were sold at an average price of $367.14, for a total value of $954,564.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,951 shares in the company, valued at $2,919,130.14. This trade represents a 24.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.