The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Shares Sold by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lessened its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 32.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 490,653 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 237,112 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for approximately 0.9% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $190,859,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on HD shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $363.00 to $413.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Telsey Advisory Group upgraded shares of Home Depot from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $360.00 to $455.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $430.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $433.44.

Home Depot Price Performance

Home Depot stock opened at $409.47 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $406.76 billion, a PE ratio of 27.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $323.77 and a 52-week high of $439.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The company’s 50 day moving average is $404.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $395.58.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.64 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $40.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.31 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.81 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.