Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Stock Price Down 1.4% – Time to Sell?

Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) were down 1.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $411.78 and last traded at $412.61. Approximately 753,396 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 3,049,912 shares. The stock had previously closed at $418.43.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HD has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Home Depot from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Home Depot from $372.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Loop Capital raised shares of Home Depot from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $360.00 to $460.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Home Depot from $390.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $426.00.

Home Depot Stock Performance

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’s 50 day moving average is $407.01 and its 200 day moving average is $389.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $411.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.16, a PEG ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 1.05.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.64 by $0.14. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The company had revenue of $40.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 27th were paid a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 27th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 61.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $6,553,958.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 77,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,727,562. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 22,084 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.91, for a total value of $9,030,368.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,343,399.64. This trade represents a 51.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 38,188 shares of company stock worth $15,624,585. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Home Depot

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the second quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.