Sarasin & Partners LLP Has $392.41 Million Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 95.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,139,934 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 556,053 shares during the quarter. Home Depot comprises 3.5% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $392,411,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of HD. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at $4,311,070,000. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the first quarter worth $513,016,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 38.4% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,347,596 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,506,659,000 after acquiring an additional 1,207,388 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,765,587 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,117,016,000 after acquiring an additional 992,444 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 15.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,437,805 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,853,143,000 after acquiring an additional 971,833 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Home Depot Price Performance

HD traded up $1.99 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $362.06. 3,308,320 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,434,097. The firm has a market capitalization of $359.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.98. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $350.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $353.23.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.59 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $43.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.57 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 1,056.67%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.65 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.28 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 29th will be paid a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 29th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is 60.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $426.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Home Depot from $380.00 to $375.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson raised shares of Home Depot from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $352.00 to $395.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $386.33.

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.