The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-one brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $436.50.

HD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. HSBC upgraded shares of Home Depot from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $356.00 to $410.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Home Depot from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded shares of Home Depot to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd.

Institutional Trading of Home Depot

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 2,117 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $824,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Center for Financial Planning Inc. grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 4,653 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,810,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Insight Inv LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 1,246 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $505,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Marino Stram & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 1,108 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Live Oak Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,915 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,912,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of HD opened at $368.49 on Wednesday. Home Depot has a twelve month low of $323.77 and a twelve month high of $439.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $399.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $400.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $366.04 billion, a PE ratio of 25.03, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The company had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Home Depot will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 61.66%.

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.