The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Shares Sold by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 293,912 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 7,170 shares during the quarter. Home Depot makes up 0.7% of MetLife Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $119,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HD. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 3rd quarter valued at about $62,000. CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its position in Home Depot by 16.8% during the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 20,342 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $8,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,923 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in Home Depot during the third quarter worth approximately $336,231,000. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at $305,000. Finally, WorthPointe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 3rd quarter valued at $295,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of Home Depot stock opened at $428.74 on Wednesday. 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 Home Depot, Inc. has a 1 year low of $308.59 and a 1 year high of $439.37. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $405.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $370.41. The firm has a market cap of $425.89 billion, a PE ratio of 29.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.01.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.64 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $40.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.31 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. Home Depot’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.81 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be paid a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 61.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Home Depot from $430.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Home Depot from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Home Depot from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Home Depot from $363.00 to $413.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $426.00.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In other Home Depot news, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.58, for a total value of $40,258.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,018,159.70. This trade represents a 0.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $6,553,958.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 77,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,727,562. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 38,188 shares of company stock worth $15,624,585. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.