Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Trading 3.6% Higher – Should You Buy?

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) traded up 3.6% on Friday . The company traded as high as $352.02 and last traded at $349.3430. 4,898,548 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 17% from the average session volume of 4,193,965 shares. The stock had previously closed at $337.15.

Home Depot News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Home Depot this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HD announced the acquisition of SIMPL Automation to accelerate same‑day and next‑day fulfillment, bringing AI-driven warehouse engineering that could reduce labor touches and speed order throughput — a clear operational play that investors view as growth and margin enhancing. Home Depot Buys SIMPL Automation to Support Same-Day Delivery
• Positive Sentiment: Company pilots with SIMPL reportedly produced faster pick speeds and fewer product touches, giving proof‑of‑concept that the tech can improve throughput and safety in distribution centers — a near‑term operational benefit that can support unit economics for online fulfillment. Home Depot acquires warehouse tech firm to boost fulfillment strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market tailwinds — news of a Middle East ceasefire and a drop in oil prices — lifted sentiment across equities, helping HD shares alongside company‑specific catalysts. Why Home Depot Stock Is Climbing Friday?
• Neutral Sentiment: HD is pursuing a potential distribution center in Yaphank, NY (seeking a tax break) as part of the same logistics expansion — this signals capacity buildout but involves local approvals and incentives, so impact is medium term. Home Depot eyes same-day, next-day delivery site in New York
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term demand backdrop for home improvement remains supportive: industry forecasts project steady remodeling market growth through 2033, which underpins Home Depot’s addressable market even if near‑term comps and labor/cost dynamics vary. United States Residential Remodeling Industry Report 2025-2033
• Negative Sentiment: Recent short‑term volatility: earlier in the week HD shares had pulled back on profit‑taking/market rotation, indicating investors remain price‑sensitive around multiples and guidance despite operational improvements. Home Depot (HD) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $407.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Home Depot from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $395.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $414.17.

Home Depot Trading Up 3.6%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $353.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $363.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $347.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.55, a PEG ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 1.09.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.20. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 134.32%. The firm had revenue of $38.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.13 earnings per share. Home Depot’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a $2.33 dividend. This represents a $9.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Home Depot news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total value of $940,669.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,439,951.74. The trade was a 5.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Home Depot

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HD. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth about $4,850,329,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Home Depot by 60.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,143,089 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,109,878,000 after purchasing an additional 3,836,051 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its stake in Home Depot by 901.5% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 3,290,540 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,132,275,000 after purchasing an additional 2,961,979 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its stake in Home Depot by 14,869.3% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,232,521 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $768,210,000 after purchasing an additional 2,217,607 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parnassus Investments LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 712.3% in the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 2,080,538 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $715,913,000 after purchasing an additional 1,824,409 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Company Profile

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.