Abner Herrman & Brock LLC Raises Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Abner Herrman & Brock LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,526 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 685 shares during the period. Home Depot comprises 1.7% of Abner Herrman & Brock LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Abner Herrman & Brock LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $13,819,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Finley Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of HD opened at $411.79 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $409.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $407.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $393.07. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $323.77 and a twelve month high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.64 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $40.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.31 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.81 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were given a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 27th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In other Home Depot news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $6,553,958.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 77,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,727,562. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.58, for a total value of $40,258.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,465 shares in the company, valued at $5,018,159.70. This trade represents a 0.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,188 shares of company stock valued at $15,624,585 over the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HD. Barclays upped their price target on Home Depot from $372.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Telsey Advisory Group upgraded Home Depot from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $455.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America upped their price target on Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Home Depot from $363.00 to $413.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Home Depot from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. One investment 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.com, Home Depot presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $426.00.

Home Depot 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.