Fundsmith LLP Trims Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Fundsmith LLP reduced its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 145,639 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 2,176 shares during the quarter. Fundsmith LLP's holdings in Home Depot were worth $56,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in Home Depot by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 96 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HD shares. Gordon Haskett lowered shares of Home Depot from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Home Depot from $431.00 to $424.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Home Depot from $445.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. KGI Securities raised Home Depot to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Home Depot from $470.00 to $410.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $430.32.

Home Depot Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Home Depot stock traded down $2.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $362.55. 1,970,748 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,441,024. 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 firm has a market cap of $360.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1 year low of $323.77 and a 1 year high of $439.37. The stock's fifty day moving average is $358.23 and its 200 day moving average is $388.76.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The firm had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a $2.30 dividend. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. This is a boost from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.66%.

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.