The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and nineteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $381.80.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Home Depot from $374.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Home Depot from $415.00 to $395.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. HSBC dropped their target price on shares of Home Depot from $323.00 to $318.00 and set a “reduce” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $426.00 price target for the company.

Home Depot Trading Up 1.8 %

HD opened at $359.51 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 23.11, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.42. Home Depot has a fifty-two week low of $274.26 and a fifty-two week high of $396.87. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $343.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $353.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $356.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.11, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.98.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 14th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $36.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.65 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 1,056.67%. Home Depot’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Home Depot will post 15.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were given a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 60.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In other news, EVP Matt Carey sold 56,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.18, for a total value of $19,332,841.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,503,123.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Home Depot

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 53.3% in the fourth quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 92 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

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.