UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Takes $5.65 Million Position in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp bought a new position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 16,009 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $5,646,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Advocate Investing Services LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Zeit Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 110.0% in the 3rd quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Cache Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:HD opened at $337.54 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $341.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $339.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.64. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.10 and a 12-month high of $426.75. The firm has a market cap of $336.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.62, a PEG ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.73 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $47.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $47.24 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.41% and a return on equity of 106.42%. Home Depot’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.68 earnings per share. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.690-15.278 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 14.99 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $2.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is presently 65.22%.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In other news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 5,989 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.40, for a total value of $2,086,567.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 48,104 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,759,433.60. This represents a 11.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on Home Depot from $435.00 to $410.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Gordon Haskett lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $320.00 to $330.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th. HSBC dropped their target price on Home Depot from $392.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Home Depot from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $398.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $375.54.

Home Depot Company Profile

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.