Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Stock Price Down 0.3%

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) shares were down 0.3% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $334.37 and last traded at $334.44. Approximately 557,072 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 3,312,838 shares. The stock had previously closed at $335.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on HD shares. Barclays raised Home Depot from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $325.00 to $372.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Monday, April 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Home Depot from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Home Depot from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $299.00 to $377.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $375.96.

Home Depot Trading Up 0.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The company's fifty day moving average is $367.36 and its 200-day moving average is $339.88. The stock has a market cap of $333.00 billion, a PE ratio of 22.15, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.98.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.05. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 1,452.22%. The company had revenue of $34.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.30 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 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 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 7th were given a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. Home Depot's payout ratio is presently 59.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $13,265,887.81. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,731 shares in the company, valued at $39,712,878.53. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Home Depot news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total transaction of $3,317,185.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 75,799 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,950,123.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $13,265,887.81. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,731 shares in the company, valued at $39,712,878.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Home Depot

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HD. Bare Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Home Depot by 53.3% during the 4th quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 92 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gilfoyle & Co LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Home Depot

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.