Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Stock Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,940,562 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 122,482 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for about 0.5% of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP's portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.50% of Home Depot worth $1,921,854,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 102 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE HD traded up $3.62 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $358.05. 1,515,025 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,464,133. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $366.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $393.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $355.91 billion, a PE ratio of 24.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $323.77 and a twelve month high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The business had revenue of $39.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.82 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $2.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.57%. This is a boost from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. Home Depot's payout ratio is currently 61.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Home Depot from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Home Depot from $431.00 to $424.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. KGI Securities raised shares of Home Depot to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Home Depot from $440.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $434.08.

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.