Advisors Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,382 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 88,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 1,382 shares during the quarter. Home Depot comprises 0.6% of Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $34,604,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth about $2,212,546,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Home Depot by 21,394.9% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,039,862 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $793,486,000 after purchasing an additional 2,030,372 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $336,231,000. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Home Depot by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,679,237 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,516,827,000 after purchasing an additional 795,438 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of Home Depot by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 7,554,880 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,925,498,000 after purchasing an additional 599,490 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Home Depot from $440.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Home Depot from $440.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. KGI Securities upgraded Home Depot to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Home Depot from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Home Depot has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $436.50.

Home Depot Price Performance

Home Depot stock opened at $354.06 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $351.71 billion, a PE ratio of 24.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $323.77 and a 12 month high of $439.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $396.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $399.54.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The company had revenue of $39.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be 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 is Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.66%.

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.