The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Shares Sold by Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 8.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,292 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $1,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bare Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 53.3% during the 4th quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 92 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilfoyle & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Home Depot from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 25th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Home Depot from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Home Depot from $411.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $410.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a report on Friday, May 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.42.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In other news, EVP Matt Carey sold 56,008 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.18, for a total transaction of $19,332,841.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 33,325 shares in the company, valued at $11,503,123.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Stock Performance

NYSE HD opened at $344.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 23.11, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1 year low of $274.26 and a 1 year high of $396.87. The company has a market capitalization of $341.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $338.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $352.74.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 14th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.02. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 1,056.67%. The company had revenue of $36.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. Home Depot’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.36%.

Home Depot Company Profile

The Home Depot, Inc operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States and internationally. 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.