Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Trading Down 0.5%

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) was down 0.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $333.20 and last traded at $335.15. Approximately 514,680 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 3,310,537 shares. The stock had previously closed at $336.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Home Depot from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $415.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Home Depot from $333.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Home Depot has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $375.96.

Home Depot Price Performance

The business's 50 day simple moving average is $363.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $341.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $331.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.05. Home Depot had a return on equity of 1,452.22% and a net margin of 9.92%. The firm had revenue of $34.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were given a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. This is a boost from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. Home Depot's payout ratio is currently 59.60%.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In related news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total value of $3,317,185.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,799 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,950,123.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Home Depot news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total value of $3,317,185.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,799 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,950,123.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, 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 shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $13,265,887.81. Following the sale, 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. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in Home Depot by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,765,587 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $5,117,016,000 after buying an additional 992,444 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,217,777 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,540,197,000 after acquiring an additional 347,614 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at $4,311,070,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Home Depot by 1.3% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 12,347,396 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,730,889,000 after purchasing an additional 153,141 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,802,085 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $3,050,363,000 after purchasing an additional 195,670 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.