Saratoga Research & Investment Management Sells 4,283 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Saratoga Research & Investment Management lowered its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 4,283 shares during the quarter. Home Depot makes up approximately 1.6% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $31,448,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.7% in the third quarter. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. now owns 1,006 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Arcus Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.1% in the third quarter. Arcus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,445 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $991,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $456,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,949 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,703,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alesco Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Alesco Advisors LLC now owns 866 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In other news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total transaction of $940,669.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,439,951.74. This trade represents a 5.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Trading Down 2.3%

HD stock opened at $297.34 on Friday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $296.88 and a one year high of $426.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $296.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $331.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $354.39.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.20. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.The company had revenue of $38.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.03 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $2.33 per share. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 65.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $413.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $424.00 to $394.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $407.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Home Depot has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $405.66.

Key Home Depot News

Here are the key news stories impacting Home Depot this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory reiterated a Buy rating on Home Depot, suggesting at least one Wall Street firm still sees value in the shares despite recent volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary has highlighted Home Depot as a potential beneficiary if housing turnover and mortgage-rate conditions improve, which could support future sales and earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are watching Home Depot closely ahead of earnings on May 19, with articles focusing on whether pro demand, digital tools, and repair projects can offset a weaker housing backdrop.
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Home Depot can perform well in a lower-rate environment, but also noted the stock needs stronger housing turnover to really accelerate.
• Negative Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein cut its price target on Home Depot to $365 from $390 and kept a Market Perform rating, reflecting a more cautious view on near-term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: A new class-action lawsuit reportedly pressured the stock, adding legal uncertainty at an already sensitive time for investors.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent pre-earnings pullback and broader worries about housing turnover have also weighed on sentiment, helping explain why Home Depot stock has been moving lower.

About Home Depot

The Home Depot, Inc (NYSE: HD) is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and an integrated online platform offering a broad range of products and services for do-it-yourself consumers, professional contractors and businesses. The company was founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since opening its first stores at the end of the 1970s, Home Depot has grown into a multinational retailer known for its orange-branded stores and wide assortment of home improvement merchandise.

Home Depot’s core business includes the sale of building materials, lumber, tools, hardware, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn and garden products, and home décor.