Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Boosts Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 9.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 216,955 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 18,795 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $84,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the second quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 36.0% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 136 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of Home Depot stock opened at $410.14 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $323.77 and a 52-week high of $439.37. The company has a market capitalization of $407.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.86, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $406.84 and a 200 day moving average of $389.32.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.64 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $40.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.31 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.81 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were given a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 27th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.14%.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In other news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 22,084 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,343,399.64. The trade was a 51.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 100 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 12,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,018,159.70. The trade was a 0.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders 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 corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Home Depot from $363.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Home Depot from $459.00 to $465.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded Home Depot from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat, Home Depot presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.