Smead Capital Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Smead Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 453,225 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 3,170 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for about 2.8% of Smead Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Smead Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Home Depot were worth $157,065,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Home Depot by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 92 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HD shares. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $417.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $390.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Friday, April 5th. Oppenheimer lowered Home Depot from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Wedbush boosted their price target on Home Depot from $380.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $415.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $375.96.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of HD stock traded up $2.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $335.36. 3,075,130 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,350,726. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $367.36 and a 200 day moving average of $339.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $274.26 and a 52-week high of $396.87. The company has a market cap of $332.35 billion, a PE ratio of 22.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $34.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. This is an increase from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is 59.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 107,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,712,878.53. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Home Depot news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 75,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,950,123.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 107,731 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,712,878.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.