Austin Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Austin Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,137 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the quarter. Austin Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of HD. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its stake in Home Depot by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 2,117 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $824,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Center for Financial Planning Inc. boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 4,653 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,810,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Insight Inv LLC boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 2.0% during the third quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 1,246 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Marino Stram & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 1,108 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $431,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,915 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,912,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE:HD opened at $368.49 on Wednesday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $323.77 and a 12 month high of $439.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $399.50 and its 200 day moving average is $400.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $366.04 billion, a PE ratio of 25.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The business had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.82 earnings per share. Home Depot’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.30 per share. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is presently 61.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HD. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Home Depot from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $431.00 to $424.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $436.50.

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.