Congress Asset Management Co. Decreases Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Congress Asset Management Co. lessened its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 391,241 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,333 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for approximately 1.1% of Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $158,527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Home Depot during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,885,603,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 36,207.5% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,076,783 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,694,552,000 after acquiring an additional 10,049,029 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 16,746.9% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,537,880 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,663,768,000 after acquiring an additional 4,510,944 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 97,978,814 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $35,922,952,000 after acquiring an additional 1,494,615 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot in the second quarter valued at $418,486,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Home Depot News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade lifted buying interest — a recent upgrade pushed shares higher earlier in the session, giving the stock short-term support as analysts reiterate confidence in HD’s fundamentals. Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Shares Up 1.1% on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa raised its price target to $360 — a higher target provides an additional analyst-backed valuation floor that can stabilize sentiment after the recent pullback. Daiwa Capital Markets Boosts Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Price Target to $360.00
• Positive Sentiment: Holiday marketing boost — a New York Times piece highlights that a new Home Depot ad promoting live-cut Christmas trees is resonating with tree farmers and could support seasonal foot traffic and sales. Real or Fake? There’s a War Over Christmas … Trees.
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term performance narrative remains strong — pieces summarizing 15-year returns remind investors of HD’s long-term compounding, supporting buy-and-hold conviction. Here’s How Much You Would Have Made Owning Home Depot Stock In The Last 15 Years
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply-chain commentary is mixed — a report notes Home Depot has “significantly increased the speed of our delivery,” yet the headline notes the stock sank despite those improvements, suggesting the market may have already priced in operational progress. “…Significantly Increased the Speed of Our Delivery”: Home Depot Stock (NYSE:HD) Sinks Despite Supply Chain Improvements
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/strategy checkups and competitor comparisons — several articles review post-earnings momentum, valuation after a pullback, and HD vs. Lowe’s; useful for longer-horizon allocation decisions but less likely to drive abrupt moves today. Home Depot (HD) Up 6.7% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Continue?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling flagged — recent insider sales are being reported and have pressured sentiment; investors watch insider activity as a governance/near-term signal. Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Shares Down 1.2% Following Insider Selling
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational risk from parking-lot tactics — reports that Home Depot deployed noise machines to deter day laborers have drawn criticism and could create reputational/regulatory scrutiny, a near-term negative for sentiment. “Caused Headaches and Nausea”: Home Depot Turns to Noise Machines to Run Off Day Laborers, Home Depot Stock (NYSE:HD) Notches Up

Home Depot Stock Performance

Home Depot stock opened at $345.45 on Monday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $343.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.85 and a beta of 1.06. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1-year low of $326.31 and a 1-year high of $426.75. The company’s 50-day moving average is $365.41 and its 200 day moving average is $378.79.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its earnings results 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). Home Depot had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 160.74%. The business had revenue of $41.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $41.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.78 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Home Depot has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.478-14.478 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 4th were paid a $2.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 4th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 145 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.26, for a total transaction of $51,947.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,413,763.20. This trade represents a 1.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Angie Brown sold 1,946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $357.63, for a total transaction of $695,947.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,409,419.83. The trade was a 33.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HD shares. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $425.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $405.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. KGI Securities lowered Home Depot from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price objective on Home Depot from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $402.07.

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.