Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Sells 6,173 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 9.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 62,127 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 6,173 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for about 1.2% of Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $23,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HD. Bare Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 92 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Trading Down 0.1 %

HD traded down $0.33 on Thursday, reaching $341.49. 2,688,313 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,442,506. The company has a market cap of $338.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 23.11. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $274.26 and a one year high of $396.87. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $338.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $352.59.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 14th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.02. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 1,056.67%. The firm had revenue of $36.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 60.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Home Depot news, EVP Matt Carey sold 56,008 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.18, for a total value of $19,332,841.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 33,325 shares in the company, valued at $11,503,123.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on HD. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Home Depot from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 25th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Home Depot from $440.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $415.00 target price for the company. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Home Depot from $411.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Friday, April 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Home Depot has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $378.42.

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.