The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Position Decreased by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. reduced its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 5.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 611,625 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 35,650 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned 0.06% of Home Depot worth $210,546,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the second quarter valued at $33,000. Burkett Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD opened at $365.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $363.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s fifty day moving average is $357.86 and its 200-day moving average is $353.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.74. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $274.26 and a 12 month high of $396.87.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.67 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.65 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 29th will be paid a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 29th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 60.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on HD. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of Home Depot from $360.00 to $330.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $426.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $377.00 to $363.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. HSBC reduced their target price on Home Depot from $323.00 to $318.00 and set a “reduce” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Home Depot from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $387.79.

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.