Value Partners Investments Inc. Sells 56,364 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Value Partners Investments Inc. trimmed its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 91.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,251 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 56,364 shares during the period. Value Partners Investments Inc.'s holdings in Home Depot were worth $2,043,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. KGI Securities raised shares of Home Depot to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. HSBC upgraded shares of Home Depot from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $356.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Home Depot from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Ten 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $434.08.

Home Depot Trading Up 2.6 %

Home Depot stock traded up $8.86 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $354.85. The company had a trading volume of 3,231,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,470,132. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $323.77 and a 12-month high of $439.37. The firm has a market cap of $352.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $370.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $394.69.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The company's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a $2.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.66%.

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.