Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Shares Down 0.5% – Should You Sell?

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)’s stock price was down 0.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $385.81 and last traded at $386.64. Approximately 451,277 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 1,398,664 shares. The stock had previously closed at $388.46.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America increased their price target on Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Home Depot from $390.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Home Depot from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $426.00.

Home Depot Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $406.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $384.37. The company has a market capitalization of $386.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.64 by $0.14. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The firm had revenue of $40.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.81 EPS. Home Depot’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 27th were given a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 61.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Home Depot news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 22,084 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.91, for a total transaction of $9,030,368.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,343,399.64. The trade was a 51.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $6,553,958.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 77,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,727,562. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,188 shares of company stock valued at $15,624,585 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Home Depot

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Denver PWM LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.