Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Stock Price Down 1.3% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares of Home Depot fell about 1.3% to roughly $335.88 mid-day, with ~3.23 million shares traded—about 22% below average volume.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive: Home Depot has a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $414.17, with several analysts recently raising targets or reiterating Outperform/Buy ratings.
• Near-term sentiment faces headwinds from operational and insider concerns—a reported internal manager fraud costing ~$4 million and ~$30 million of insider selling—despite a recent quarterly EPS beat and a dividend increase.

Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) dropped 1.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $334.68 and last traded at $335.88. Approximately 3,230,511 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 4,119,620 shares. The stock had previously closed at $340.16.

More Home Depot News

Here are the key news stories impacting Home Depot this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research reiterated an Outperform rating and a $414 price target for HD, a bullish analyst endorsement that supports upside versus the current market price and can help stabilize sentiment. Wolfe Research Bullish on The Home Depot, Inc. (HD)
• Positive Sentiment: The Home Depot Foundation committed $250,000 to Keep America Beautiful’s RETREET program to replant 1,000+ trees after disasters — a modest but positive ESG/PR item that supports brand and community resilience (limited direct financial impact). The Home Depot Foundation Funds RETREET Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media are re-checking Home Depot’s valuation versus cash-flow signals; pieces note mixed short-term returns and debate whether the stock is fairly priced — useful context for investors but not an immediate catalyst. Home Depot (HD) Valuation Check
• Neutral Sentiment: Previews and analyst models expect a modest single-digit profit decline in the upcoming fiscal-quarter preview; watch the company’s guidance and Pro/customer trends for clearer near-term earnings catalysts. Home Depot's Quarterly Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: TipRanks reports an internal manager fraud that cost Home Depot roughly $4 million, described as a “deliberate and systematic fraud scheme” — an operational risk that can weigh on sentiment and short-term stock performance. Manager’s Fraud Costs Home Depot $4 Million
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage highlights notable insider selling (~$30M over the past year), which can be perceived negatively by investors concerned about near-term insider conviction, even if sales are often for diversification. Insiders Are Selling Home Depot Stock

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Home Depot from $381.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Home Depot from $424.00 to $454.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wolfe Research upped their target price on Home Depot from $413.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Home Depot from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Home Depot presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $414.17.

Home Depot Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $348.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $361.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $334.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.09.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.20. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.The firm had revenue of $38.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.13 EPS. The business's revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $2.33 per share. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. This is an increase from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total value of $940,669.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,566 shares in the company, valued at $16,439,951.74. This trade represents a 5.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Home Depot

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Emprise Bank grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Emprise Bank now owns 3,135 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,270,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. now owns 1,006 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Curio Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 218 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 2,280 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Arcus Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Arcus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,445 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $991,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Company Profile

The Home Depot, Inc NYSE: HD is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and an integrated online platform offering a broad range of products and services for do-it-yourself consumers, professional contractors and businesses. The company was founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since opening its first stores at the end of the 1970s, Home Depot has grown into a multinational retailer known for its orange-branded stores and wide assortment of home improvement merchandise.

Home Depot's core business includes the sale of building materials, lumber, tools, hardware, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn and garden products, and home décor.

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