Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Raises Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 15.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,393 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,976 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $7,705,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HD. Silphium Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 77.2% during the third quarter. Silphium Asset Management Ltd now owns 13,544 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,488,000 after purchasing an additional 5,900 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp grew its position in Home Depot by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 1,095,113 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $443,729,000 after buying an additional 3,608 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Home Depot by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 534,564 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $216,600,000 after buying an additional 12,239 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in Home Depot by 59.9% in the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 107,438 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $43,533,000 after buying an additional 40,232 shares during the period. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter worth $1,888,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Stock Performance

NYSE:HD opened at $321.79 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $362.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $368.71. 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 $320.51 billion, a PE ratio of 22.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.09. The Home Depot, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $318.66 and a fifty-two week high of $426.75.

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

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $2.33 per share. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $9.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on Home Depot from $391.00 to $348.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on Home Depot from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $414.17.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In related news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total value of $940,669.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,566 shares in the company, valued at $16,439,951.74. This represents a 5.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Home Depot News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Home Depot is expanding into HVAC distribution with the acquisition of Mingledorff’s, increasing exposure to a ~$100B HVAC market in the Southeast and signaling growth beyond core retail. The deal is expected to keep Mingledorff’s leadership in place and have minimal near‑term leverage impact. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The company appointed Franziska Bell to lead its AI-driven technology strategy as CTO, a move aimed at customer experience and operational efficiency that could improve margins and productivity over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Home Depot broadened its online assortment through a supplier partnership (AXIL Brands) that adds specialty products to HomeDepot.com, supporting incremental e‑commerce sales. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore lowered its price target on HD from $425 to $415 but kept an Outperform rating, reflecting confidence in the long-term story despite near-term headwinds. That keeps institutional backing but removes some upside cushion. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces place Home Depot among large-cap stocks with mixed potential — highlighting stable dividend/scale attributes but also slower growth versus peers; this frames HD as a steadier income/quality holding rather than a high-growth pick. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite beating EPS estimates last quarter ($2.72 vs. $2.52), Home Depot reported revenue down ~3.8% Y/Y and set FY2026 EPS guidance in the $14.23–$14.80 range, below some sell‑side forecasts — a combination that pressures near‑term sentiment and valuation multiples. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and coverage highlight a worrisome shift in consumer behavior and intensifying competition from Lowe’s (which is upgrading its shopping experience), both of which could weigh on same‑store sales and margin recovery. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Sector headlines and other retail misses (e.g., peer earnings volatility) are pressuring stocks in the space, increasing risk aversion among investors and amplifying downside for HD until clearer sales/margin improvement shows up. Read More.

Home Depot 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.