Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Reduces Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC trimmed its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 19.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,218 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 18,575 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in Home Depot were worth $29,259,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 102 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on HD shares. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Home Depot to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Home Depot from $431.00 to $424.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. HSBC upgraded shares of Home Depot from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $356.00 to $410.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $455.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Home Depot from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $434.08.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of HD traded down $0.73 on Monday, reaching $356.85. The stock had a trading volume of 2,403,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,460,764. The firm has a market capitalization of $354.72 billion, a PE ratio of 24.24, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $363.97 and a 200 day moving average of $392.11. 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 posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The firm had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. Home Depot's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.66%.

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.