Empirical Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Empirical Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 33.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,123 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,025 shares during the quarter. Home Depot accounts for 1.0% of Empirical Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Empirical Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $6,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 1.5% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 56,334 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $22,826,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Advisors increased its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 53,210 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $21,560,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Vawter Financial Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $234,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Home Depot by 10.1% in the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,759 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,738,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, North Star Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Home Depot by 0.8% in the third quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,155 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,899,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Home Depot News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and revenue slightly above expectations — adjusted EPS of $2.72 topped estimates and revenue of $38.2B edged past the street, driven by modest comparable-sales improvement and margin gains. CNBC: Home Depot beats
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised and dividend-case momentum — company increased its quarterly payout (1.3%) and MarketBeat highlights growing institutional accumulation and dividend-investor interest that can support multiple and lower volatility over time. PR Newswire: Dividend & results MarketBeat: Accumulation
• Positive Sentiment: Business mix resilience — Home Depot’s professional (B2B) and contractor business is a growing share of sales (nearer to 50%), helping offset weaker DIY demand and making revenue less cyclical. PYMNTS: B2B share
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — at least one shop (DA Davidson) raised its price target significantly and reiterated a buy view, signaling confidence from some sell‑side desks. The Fly: Price target raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Company backed FY26 guidance but it’s conservative — FY26 EPS range was given (14.230–14.799), with the midpoint a touch below consensus; management kept outlook steady rather than upgrading it. MarketBeat: Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst tone and peer comparison — some outlets praise HD’s stability, while others point to Lowe’s as a potentially cheaper/stronger short‑term trade; analysts’ price targets remain dispersed. Barron’s: Lowe’s comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Sales decline and housing weakness — total revenue fell ~3.8% YoY, management described a “frozen” housing environment and said homeowners are delaying big projects due to affordability and job worries, which dampens the demand outlook. NYT: Homeowners wary Seeking Alpha: Frozen housing
• Negative Sentiment: Margins and income compression — income contracted and adjusted EPS declined vs. last year (partly due to calendar effects), so earnings quality questions and slower topline growth are risks until housing activity recovers. Zacks: Sales miss context

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In other Home Depot news, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 145 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were 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 $4,413,763.20. The trade was a 1.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 2,872 shares of the business’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 transaction 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 approximately $4,599,069.92. This represents a 17.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,963 shares of company stock valued at $1,748,845. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Stock Up 2.0%

HD stock opened at $384.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $370.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $380.12. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $326.31 and a twelve month high of $426.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $382.93 billion, a PE ratio of 26.22, a PEG ratio of 13.49 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.82.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $38.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.01 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 160.74%. Home Depot’s revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.13 earnings per share. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be given a $2.33 dividend. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on HD shares. Wolfe Research decreased their target price on Home Depot from $415.00 to $414.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Home Depot from $370.00 to $350.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $413.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. DZ Bank reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Home Depot from $441.00 to $422.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $410.53.

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.