Saratoga Research & Investment Management Has $36.52 Million Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Saratoga Research & Investment Management lowered its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 1.7% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 99,605 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 1,727 shares during the quarter. Home Depot comprises about 2.0% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $36,519,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Home Depot by 1.5% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 97,978,814 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $35,922,952,000 after purchasing an additional 1,494,615 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 0.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 46,015,836 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $16,871,246,000 after acquiring an additional 300,352 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 22,978,809 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $8,394,611,000 after purchasing an additional 327,674 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,568,860 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,341,724,000 after purchasing an additional 153,582 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,885,603,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 145 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.26, for a total transaction of $51,947.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,320 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,413,763.20. The trade was a 1.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Home Depot Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE:HD opened at $359.52 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $357.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.51, a P/E/G ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.82, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $368.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $379.38. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $326.31 and a 52-week high of $426.75.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.74 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.83 by ($0.09). Home Depot had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 160.74%. The firm had revenue of $41.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $41.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.78 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Home Depot has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.478-14.478 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 4th will be paid a $2.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 4th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is 62.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on HD shares. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Home Depot from $445.00 to $400.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Gordon Haskett reduced their target price on Home Depot from $345.00 to $330.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered Home Depot from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $424.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $362.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Monday, November 24th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Home Depot currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.17.

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.