GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 14,446 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 27 shares during the quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $5,619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Home Depot in the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Finley Financial LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at $59,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HD opened at $407.39 on Friday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $323.77 and a twelve month high of $439.37. 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 has a market cap of $404.68 billion, a PE ratio of 27.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50 day moving average is $406.58 and its 200 day moving average is $393.70.

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

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were paid a $2.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 61.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.58, for a total transaction of $40,258.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,018,159.70. This trade represents a 0.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 22,084 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.91, for a total transaction of $9,030,368.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,343,399.64. The trade was a 51.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,188 shares of company stock valued at $15,624,585 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $451.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Telsey Advisory Group raised shares of 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 research report on Friday, November 8th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Home Depot from $363.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $426.00.

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.