The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) is Baird Financial Group Inc.'s 6th Largest Position

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,522,226 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 59,213 shares during the quarter. Home Depot makes up 1.9% of Baird Financial Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.25% of Home Depot worth $981,121,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its position in Home Depot by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 2,117 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $824,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 4,653 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,810,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC grew its stake in Home Depot by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 1,108 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $431,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,915 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,912,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Mezzasalma Advisors LLC raised its stake in Home Depot by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC now owns 655 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HD. HSBC upgraded shares of Home Depot from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their price target for the company from $356.00 to $410.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Home Depot from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $455.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. KGI Securities raised Home Depot to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective 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. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $434.08.

Home Depot Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:HD opened at $364.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $362.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $323.77 and a 52-week high of $439.37. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $360.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $390.34.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $39.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 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 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $2.30 dividend. 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 2.52%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot's payout ratio is 61.66%.

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.

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