Foster Group Inc. Buys 302 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Foster Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,618 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the quarter. Foster Group Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Slow Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kalos Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 68.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of HD stock traded down $8.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $321.40. 7,117,755 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,794,871. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $325.55 and a 200 day moving average of $305.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.53. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.61 and a 52-week high of $347.25. The company has a market cap of $321.42 billion, a PE ratio of 20.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.95.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 15th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.20. Home Depot had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 1,424.89%. The business had revenue of $42.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.05 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, August 15th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the home improvement retailer to purchase up to 4.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 31st were paid a $2.09 dividend. This represents a $8.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 30th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.22%.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In related news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 6,091 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $324.22, for a total value of $1,974,824.02. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,375,680.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 6,091 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $324.22, for a total value of $1,974,824.02. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,375,680.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 12,120 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.40, for a total transaction of $3,943,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 73,049 shares in the company, valued at $23,770,144.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 19,811 shares of company stock valued at $6,441,376. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HD shares. Barclays upped their target price on Home Depot from $310.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 15th. TheStreet upgraded Home Depot from a “c+” rating to an “a-” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 15th. Wedbush boosted their price target on Home Depot from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 16th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Home Depot in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Home Depot from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 8th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.62.

About Home Depot

The Home Depot, Inc operates as a home improvement retailer. 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.