The Home Depot, Inc. $HD Position Increased by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel boosted its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 115,428 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,560 shares during the period. Home Depot comprises approximately 1.4% of Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $32,838,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV increased its stake in Home Depot by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV now owns 14,123 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,018,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Ballast Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 8,050 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,290,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Kenora Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kenora Financial LLC now owns 4,785 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,361,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 392,274 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $111,598,000 after acquiring an additional 3,834 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 3rd quarter valued at $267,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Richard McPhail sold 5,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.40, for a total transaction of $2,086,567.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 48,104 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,759,433.60. This represents a 11.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Rowe sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.76, for a total value of $239,099.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,302,764.88. This represents a 9.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,829 shares of company stock worth $3,339,314. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of HD traded up $5.57 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $315.45. 2,113,137 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,471,143. The stock has a market cap of $314.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $311.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $324.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.64. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $277.15 and a twelve month high of $397.63.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.73 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $47.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.24 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.41% and a return on equity of 106.42%. Home Depot’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.68 EPS. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.690-15.278 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd were given a $2.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 65.22%.

Key Home Depot News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks identify Home Depot as a trending, highly watched stock and point to favorable momentum and long-term investment characteristics. The company’s latest reported quarter also showed earnings and revenue above expectations, with sales up 5.7% year over year. Here is What to Know Beyond Why The Home Depot, Inc. Is a Trending Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports frame Home Depot as an attractive long-term holding because its growth rate has improved and management is concentrating on professional trade customers, a potentially important source of recurring, higher-value sales. Should You Buy Home Depot Stock Before November 17?
• Positive Sentiment: Home Depot continues to receive favorable momentum and “top stock” consideration from Zacks’ screening tools, which may support investor interest and incremental buying from style-oriented investors. Why Home Depot Is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Home Depot trades at roughly 21.6 times earnings, below the S&P 500’s 22.9 multiple. That valuation is not excessive, but investors will likely need evidence of sustained growth to justify further gains. What Changed in Home Depot’s Story?
• Negative Sentiment: Frozen housing activity remains a risk because homeowners may delay major remodeling projects. Dividend-focused investors are also weighing Home Depot’s current yield against Lowe’s faster potential dividend growth, which could limit its appeal to some income investors. Home Depot vs. Lowe’s: Higher Yield or Faster Dividend Growth?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on HD shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Home Depot from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Wolfe Research lowered Home Depot from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on Home Depot from $369.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $375.93.

Home Depot Company Profile

The Home Depot, Inc is a home improvement retailer serving do-it-yourself customers, professional contractors, and other building and maintenance professionals. The company sells a broad selection of building materials, hardware, tools, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, flooring, lighting, lawn and garden products, and home décor.

In addition to merchandise, Home Depot offers services such as product delivery, tool and equipment rental, credit services, and installation for selected products.