North Star Asset Management Inc. Lowers Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

North Star Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,624 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 251 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $2,280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HD. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.2% during the second quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,372 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $817,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Home Depot by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,963 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Acorn Creek Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 3.4% in the second quarter. Acorn Creek Capital LLC now owns 845 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. STAR Financial Bank boosted its stake in Home Depot by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. STAR Financial Bank now owns 3,944 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,367,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 1.2% during the first quarter. Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,385 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $915,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:HD opened at $360.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $357.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.98. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $274.26 and a 52-week high of $396.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.74, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a fifty day moving average of $357.27 and a 200-day moving average of $354.10.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.59 by $0.08. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.71% and a return on equity of 681.27%. The firm had revenue of $43.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.65 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 29th will be given a $2.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 29th. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Home Depot to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $426.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Home Depot from $440.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Home Depot from $377.00 to $363.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Home Depot from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $387.79.

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.