Metis Global Partners LLC Buys 7,570 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 15.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,893 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,570 shares during the quarter. Home Depot accounts for 0.8% of Metis Global Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $19,716,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HD. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Home Depot by 1.3% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 12,347,396 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,730,889,000 after acquiring an additional 153,141 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,802,085 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,050,363,000 after buying an additional 195,670 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Home Depot by 12,647.4% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 5,569,482 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,930,104,000 after buying an additional 5,525,791 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 38.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,347,596 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,506,659,000 after buying an additional 1,207,388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Home Depot by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 3,418,400 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,032,904,000 after acquiring an additional 346,641 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Home Depot Price Performance

HD traded up $7.32 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $342.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,165,054 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,606,830. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $274.26 and a 12 month high of $396.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $361.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $342.77. The stock has a market cap of $339.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.01.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.05. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 1,452.22%. The firm had revenue of $34.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were given a dividend of $2.25 per share. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 59.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $415.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Wedbush raised their price target on Home Depot from $380.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and set a $323.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Home Depot from $347.00 to $393.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $375.96.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total transaction of $3,317,185.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,950,123.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total value of $3,317,185.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,950,123.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $13,265,887.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 107,731 shares in the company, valued at $39,712,878.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.