Guggenheim Capital LLC Purchases 25,890 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 44.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 84,704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,890 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $32,949,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Stock Performance

HD opened at $356.92 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $354.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.25, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average of $374.14 and a 200 day moving average of $395.67. The Home Depot, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $323.77 and a fifty-two week high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued 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. The firm had revenue of $39.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.82 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is 61.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on HD shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Home Depot from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Home Depot from $431.00 to $424.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Gordon Haskett downgraded Home Depot from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Home Depot has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $434.08.

About Home Depot

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.