Northstar Advisory Group LLC Acquires 2,407 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Northstar Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 50.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,138 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,407 shares during the quarter. Home Depot accounts for about 1.4% of Northstar Advisory Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Northstar Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $2,777,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Home Depot by 3.7% in the third quarter. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Home Depot by 0.7% during the third quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,624 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,469,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Insight Inv LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 1,246 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $505,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Capital City Trust Co. FL grew its position in shares of Home Depot by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital City Trust Co. FL now owns 2,494 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,011,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,962 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,319,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Stock Performance

HD opened at $389.65 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $406.03 and its 200 day moving average is $386.31. 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 cap of $387.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.47, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $323.77 and a 12-month high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.64 by $0.14. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The firm had revenue of $40.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.81 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were paid a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.14%.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In other Home Depot news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $6,553,958.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 77,475 shares in the company, valued at $31,727,562. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 22,084 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.91, for a total transaction of $9,030,368.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,404 shares in the company, valued at $8,343,399.64. The trade was a 51.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,188 shares of company stock worth $15,624,585. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Barclays boosted their price target on Home Depot from $372.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Melius Research began coverage on Home Depot in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $420.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded Home Depot from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Home Depot presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $426.00.

About Home Depot

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.