Atala Financial Inc Makes New Investment in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,547 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,769,000. Home Depot makes up approximately 1.2% of Atala Financial Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. POM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $824,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $1,810,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 1,246 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 1,108 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,915 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,912,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Home Depot from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. HSBC upgraded Home Depot from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $356.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $436.50.

Home Depot Stock Performance

NYSE HD opened at $347.42 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $345.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $323.77 and a twelve month high of $439.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $398.19 and a 200 day moving average of $399.42.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The company had revenue of $39.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.82 EPS. Home Depot’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.66%.

Home Depot 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.