Retirement Systems of Alabama Purchases 47,914 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 475,434 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 47,914 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for 0.7% of Retirement Systems of Alabama's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Retirement Systems of Alabama's holdings in Home Depot were worth $192,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the second quarter worth $25,000. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Denver PWM LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Home Depot stock traded up $2.55 during trading on Friday, reaching $416.97. 2,649,716 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,372,001. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $411.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $377.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $414.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $40.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.81 EPS. Home Depot's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 27th were given a $2.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $451.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Home Depot in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $420.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson increased their target price on Home Depot from $430.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $426.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of Home Depot 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 77,475 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,727,562. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.58, for a total value of $40,258.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,018,159.70. This trade represents a 0.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 38,188 shares of company stock valued at $15,624,585. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.