Natixis Sells 373,610 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Natixis lessened its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 84.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,842 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 373,610 shares during the period. Natixis' holdings in Home Depot were worth $26,779,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HD. Norinchukin Bank The raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 55,514 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $21,594,000 after acquiring an additional 3,605 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its stake in Home Depot by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 109,195 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $42,476,000 after purchasing an additional 21,604 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Inc. CA grew its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 113,123 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $44,004,000 after buying an additional 6,508 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Home Depot by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,455,582 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,845,098,000 after buying an additional 647,552 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carbahal Olsen Financial Services Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $200,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HD traded up $2.76 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $357.19. 1,753,676 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,465,033. The company has a market capitalization of $355.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $366.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $393.38. 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 Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $323.77 and a 52-week high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $39.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.82 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a $2.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This is an increase from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Gordon Haskett lowered Home Depot from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Home Depot to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Home Depot from $440.00 to $430.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Home Depot from $435.00 to $418.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Home Depot has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $434.08.

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.