Donaldson Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Donaldson Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 195,967 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 4,539 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for about 3.0% of Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $67,912,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC raised 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 valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

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

Home Depot Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE:HD opened at $334.83 on Wednesday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1-year low of $274.26 and a 1-year high of $396.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $369.14 and a 200 day moving average of $339.05. The firm has a market cap 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.40.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $34.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were given a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HD shares. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $415.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Home Depot from $415.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Home Depot from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $370.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Home Depot has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.