Empirical Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Empirical Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 105.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 72,384 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 37,171 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for 0.8% of Empirical Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Empirical Asset Management LLC's holdings in Home Depot were worth $28,157,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 3.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Home Depot by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,624 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,469,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Insight Inv LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 1,246 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Capital City Trust Co. FL raised its holdings in Home Depot by 1.1% during 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 lifted its stake in Home Depot by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,962 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $2,319,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In related news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 22,084 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,343,399.64. This represents a 51.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $6,553,958.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 77,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,727,562. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,188 shares of company stock valued at $15,624,585 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on HD. DA Davidson increased their target price on Home Depot from $430.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Home Depot from $345.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Home Depot from an "accumulate" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $426.00.

Home Depot Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE HD traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $409.42. The stock had a trading volume of 3,194,517 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,543,379. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1 year low of $323.77 and a 1 year high of $439.37. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $406.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $387.45. 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 stock has a market cap of $406.70 billion, a PE ratio of 27.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 1.05.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.64 by $0.14. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The company had revenue of $40.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.81 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.14%.

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.