6,888 Shares in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Purchased by Vista Investment Partners II LLC

Vista Investment Partners II LLC bought a new stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 6,888 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,679,000. Home Depot makes up approximately 1.6% of Vista Investment Partners II LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HD. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,212,546,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Home Depot by 21,394.9% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,039,862 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $793,486,000 after acquiring an additional 2,030,372 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at about $336,231,000. FMR LLC grew its position in Home Depot by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,679,237 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,516,827,000 after acquiring an additional 795,438 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its position in Home Depot by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 7,554,880 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,925,498,000 after acquiring an additional 599,490 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of HD stock opened at $376.66 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $400.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $400.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $374.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1-year low of $323.77 and a 1-year high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.82 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $2.30 dividend. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on HD shares. HSBC raised Home Depot from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $356.00 to $410.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $455.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Home Depot from $440.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Home Depot from $440.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Home Depot presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $436.50.

About Home Depot

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.