The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Holdings Boosted by Argent Trust Co

Argent Trust Co grew its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 98,779 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 815 shares during the period. Home Depot comprises about 1.6% of Argent Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $38,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 10.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,471,223 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $596,140,000 after purchasing an additional 141,915 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 12.9% in the third quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 30,497 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $12,357,000 after purchasing an additional 3,493 shares during the period. Chiron Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,406,000. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in Home Depot by 10.6% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 612,888 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $248,342,000 after buying an additional 58,652 shares during the period. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the third quarter worth $6,544,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of HD stock traded down $5.39 on Thursday, reaching $350.00. 240,989 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,477,492. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $377.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $396.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $347.91 billion, a PE ratio of 23.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52 week low of $323.77 and a 52 week high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.82 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Home Depot from $440.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $455.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a research report 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, Gordon Haskett lowered shares of Home Depot from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Home Depot currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $434.08.

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.