Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Purchases 80 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,194 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $3,879,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 12,647.4% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 5,569,482 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,930,104,000 after purchasing an additional 5,525,791 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Home Depot by 38.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,347,596 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,506,659,000 after buying an additional 1,207,388 shares during the period. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter worth $207,210,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Home Depot by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,468,902 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $746,003,000 after acquiring an additional 421,619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 3,418,400 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,032,904,000 after purchasing an additional 346,641 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HD opened at $334.23 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $363.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $341.88. The company has a market cap of $331.23 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.98. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $274.26 and a twelve month high of $396.87.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.05. Home Depot had a return on equity of 1,452.22% and a net margin of 9.92%. The company had revenue of $34.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Home Depot from $355.00 to $366.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $299.00 to $377.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Mizuho began coverage on Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $415.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $370.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a report on Monday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $375.96.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total value of $3,317,185.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,950,123.26. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Home Depot news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $13,265,887.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 107,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,712,878.53. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total transaction of $3,317,185.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 75,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,950,123.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Home Depot Profile

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.