KBC Group NV Purchases 42,720 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

KBC Group NV increased its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 10.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 435,521 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 42,720 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Home Depot were worth $176,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WFA Asset Management Corp boosted its stake in Home Depot by 10.7% in the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,394 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $535,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Home Depot by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 11,421 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $4,381,000 after buying an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Home Depot by 1.3% in the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 22,321 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $8,562,000 after buying an additional 286 shares during the period. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. lifted its stake in Home Depot by 1.3% in the first quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 5,498 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $2,109,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GM Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 1.8% during the first quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,169 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,983,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:HD traded down $2.14 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $408.05. The stock had a trading volume of 1,388,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,373,342. The stock has a market cap of $405.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.86, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.01. The business's 50 day moving average is $397.67 and its 200 day moving average is $365.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The Home Depot, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $302.34 and a fifty-two week high of $421.56.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 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 analyst estimates of $39.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.81 EPS. Home Depot's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 14.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on HD shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $363.00 to $413.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays lifted their price target on Home Depot from $372.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Home Depot from $430.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Daiwa America raised Home Depot to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Home Depot from $377.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $426.00.

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.