AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Decreases Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd decreased its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 38.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 56,821 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 35,175 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $23,023,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HD. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. bought a new position in Home Depot in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Financially Speaking Inc purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Home Depot during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Dougherty Wealth Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Home Depot Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:HD opened at $366.54 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $372.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $379.26. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52 week low of $326.31 and a 52 week high of $426.75. 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 stock has a market cap of $364.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.76, a PEG ratio of 13.29 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a $2.33 dividend. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.65%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Angie Brown sold 1,946 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $357.63, for a total transaction of $695,947.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,941 shares in the company, valued at $1,409,419.83. This represents a 33.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 145 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 4,963 shares of company stock valued at $1,748,845 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Home Depot from $381.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Home Depot from $363.00 to $377.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Home Depot from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Home Depot from $444.00 to $423.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 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.com, Home Depot has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $416.00.

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.