Marino Stram & Associates LLC Sells 315 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Marino Stram & Associates LLC cut its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 20.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,254 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 315 shares during the period. Marino Stram & Associates LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BCK Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 1st quarter valued at $2,933,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 1st quarter valued at $1,554,000. Equitable Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Home Depot by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 14,628 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,379,000 after buying an additional 1,007 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Home Depot by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 791,318 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $236,865,000 after buying an additional 24,640 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Home Depot Stock Down 0.9 %

HD opened at $334.83 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $369.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $339.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52 week low of $274.26 and a 52 week high of $396.87. The company has a market capitalization of $331.82 billion, a PE ratio of 22.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.05. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 1,452.22%. The business had revenue of $34.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 7th were issued a $2.25 dividend. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.60%.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In related news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $13,265,887.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 107,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,712,878.53. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $13,265,887.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 107,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,712,878.53. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total transaction of $3,317,185.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 75,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,950,123.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $415.00 price objective for the company. Zelman & Associates upgraded Home Depot from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Wedbush upped their price objective on Home Depot from $380.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Home Depot presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $375.96.

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.