Banco Santander S.A. Acquires 64,538 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Banco Santander S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 107.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 124,848 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 64,538 shares during the period. Home Depot makes up 0.6% of Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $48,565,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Home Depot by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter worth about $41,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD stock opened at $376.66 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $400.21 and its 200 day moving average is $399.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $374.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.59, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $323.77 and a 12 month high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. Home Depot’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.82 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is 61.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded shares of Home Depot to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $436.50.

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.