Unified Investment Management Takes Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Unified Investment Management purchased a new stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,431 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $946,000. Home Depot comprises 1.1% of Unified Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HD. SYM FINANCIAL Corp boosted its position in Home Depot by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 1,917 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $777,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. Wealth Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Swedbank AB raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 909,530 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $368,542,000 after buying an additional 132,967 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,476 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $598,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fonville Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter worth $259,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Home Depot Stock Up 1.6 %

NYSE HD opened at $396.69 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $394.06 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $323.77 and a one year high of $439.37. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $401.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $399.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The firm had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. The business’s quarterly 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $2.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HD has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Home Depot from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Home Depot from $372.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $455.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $436.50.

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.