Relative Value Partners Group LLC Sells 326 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Relative Value Partners Group LLC lessened its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 22.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,095 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 326 shares during the period. Relative Value Partners Group LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $323,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Slow Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Kalos Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Studio Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Koesten Hirschmann & Crabtree INC. bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 68.34% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Trading Up 0.1 %

HD opened at $328.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.53, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 1.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $324.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $304.26. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $265.61 and a one year high of $347.25. The stock has a market cap of $328.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.95.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 15th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $42.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.19 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 1,424.89% and a net margin of 10.48%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.05 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.24 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 15th that allows the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the home improvement retailer to purchase up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $2.09 per share. This represents a $8.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 30th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.22%.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In other Home Depot news, CAO Kimberly R. Scardino sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.69, for a total transaction of $522,704.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,705,319.89. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Home Depot news, CAO Kimberly R. Scardino sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.69, for a total transaction of $522,704.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,705,319.89. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 12,120 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.40, for a total transaction of $3,943,848.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 73,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,770,144.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 19,811 shares of company stock worth $6,441,376. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on HD shares. Loop Capital raised their target price on Home Depot from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $330.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 15th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Home Depot from $315.00 to $335.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group decreased their price objective on Home Depot from $320.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Home Depot has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.62.

Home Depot Company Profile

The Home Depot, Inc operates as a home improvement retailer. 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.