The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Stock Position Trimmed by Nicholas Company Inc.

Nicholas Company Inc. cut its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 239,618 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 10,902 shares during the quarter. Home Depot comprises 1.5% of Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $93,209,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $431.00 to $424.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $455.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Home Depot from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, KGI Securities raised shares of Home Depot to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $436.50.

Home Depot Price Performance

NYSE HD opened at $351.16 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $348.83 billion, a PE ratio of 23.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $397.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $399.44. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $323.77 and a 12-month high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The company’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $2.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. 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.