The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-four brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have assigned a hold recommendation and twenty-one have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $404.50.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on HD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $444.00 to $423.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Home Depot from $370.00 to $350.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 1st. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Home Depot from $353.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Home Depot from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Argus decreased their target price on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $425.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th.

Home Depot Price Performance

Home Depot stock opened at $374.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.82, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $359.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $378.70. Home Depot has a 12 month low of $326.31 and a 12 month high of $426.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $372.65 billion, a PE ratio of 25.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.86 and a beta of 1.08.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.83 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $41.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $41.06 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 160.74%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.78 earnings per share. Home Depot has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.478-14.478 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Home Depot will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 4th were given a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 4th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 2,872 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.52, for a total value of $1,000,949.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,599,069.92. This trade represents a 17.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.26, for a total value of $51,947.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 12,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,413,763.20. The trade was a 1.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,963 shares of company stock worth $1,748,845. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HD. Centerpoint Advisory Group raised its position in shares of Home Depot by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group now owns 3,163 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 2.3% in the second quarter. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. now owns 1,178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $432,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Brio Consultants LLC raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 4.7% in the second quarter. Brio Consultants LLC now owns 574 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $210,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Emprise Bank boosted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.8% during the third quarter. Emprise Bank now owns 3,135 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,270,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. increased its position in Home Depot by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. now owns 1,006 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

About Home Depot

The Home Depot, Inc (NYSE: HD) is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and an integrated online platform offering a broad range of products and services for do-it-yourself consumers, professional contractors and businesses. The company was founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since opening its first stores at the end of the 1970s, Home Depot has grown into a multinational retailer known for its orange-branded stores and wide assortment of home improvement merchandise.

Home Depot’s core business includes the sale of building materials, lumber, tools, hardware, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn and garden products, and home décor.