Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC Has $1.02 Million Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,621 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 68 shares during the quarter. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $1,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in Home Depot by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Home Depot stock opened at $353.78 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $384.89 and a 200-day moving average of $398.25. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $323.77 and a 52-week high of $439.37. The stock has a market cap of $351.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.03, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.08.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The firm had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.82 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HD has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $431.00 to $424.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Home Depot from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $455.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Home Depot from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $435.85.

Home Depot Company 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.