RiverFront Investment Group LLC Grows Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

RiverFront Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 14.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,008 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,796 shares during the period. RiverFront Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $4,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HD. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 26,918 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $10,471,000 after purchasing an additional 7,203 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 7.1% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,598 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $952,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 14.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 11,587 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,433 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot in the second quarter valued at $1,773,000. Finally, Financial Advisors Network Inc. lifted its holdings in Home Depot by 11.3% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 2,368 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $868,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Home Depot

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

• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory reiterated a Buy rating on Home Depot, suggesting at least one Wall Street firm still sees value in the shares despite recent volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary has highlighted Home Depot as a potential beneficiary if housing turnover and mortgage-rate conditions improve, which could support future sales and earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are watching Home Depot closely ahead of earnings on May 19, with articles focusing on whether pro demand, digital tools, and repair projects can offset a weaker housing backdrop.
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Home Depot can perform well in a lower-rate environment, but also noted the stock needs stronger housing turnover to really accelerate.
• Negative Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein cut its price target on Home Depot to $365 from $390 and kept a Market Perform rating, reflecting a more cautious view on near-term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: A new class-action lawsuit reportedly pressured the stock, adding legal uncertainty at an already sensitive time for investors.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent pre-earnings pullback and broader worries about housing turnover have also weighed on sentiment, helping explain why Home Depot stock has been moving lower.

Home Depot Stock Down 0.1%

HD opened at $297.34 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $331.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $354.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.06. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $296.88 and a one year high of $426.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.00.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.20. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.The business had revenue of $38.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.03 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a dividend of $2.33 per share. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is presently 65.50%.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In other news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total transaction of $940,669.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,439,951.74. The trade was a 5.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen raised Home Depot from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on Home Depot from $391.00 to $348.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Home Depot in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $405.66.

About Home Depot

The Home Depot, Inc (NYSE: HD) is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and an integrated online platform offering a broad range of products and services for do-it-yourself consumers, professional contractors and businesses. The company was founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since opening its first stores at the end of the 1970s, Home Depot has grown into a multinational retailer known for its orange-branded stores and wide assortment of home improvement merchandise.

Home Depot’s core business includes the sale of building materials, lumber, tools, hardware, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn and garden products, and home décor.