The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Shares Sold by Meitav Investment House Ltd.

Meitav Investment House Ltd. lessened its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 96.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,722 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 95,682 shares during the quarter. Meitav Investment House Ltd.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $1,146,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Fin Capital Inc. grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.3% in the second quarter. Blue Fin Capital Inc. now owns 8,966 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,785,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 0.4% in the second quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 7,151 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,221,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc grew its stake in Home Depot by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 5,198 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. JB Capital LLC increased its holdings in Home Depot by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. JB Capital LLC now owns 6,527 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,027,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthstream Advisors Inc. raised its position in Home Depot by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,723 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $535,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 68.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HD opened at $306.44 on Friday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52 week low of $274.26 and a 52 week high of $347.25. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $299.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $306.48. The company has a market cap of $306.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 14th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.75 by $0.06. Home Depot had a return on equity of 1,339.65% and a net margin of 10.22%. The business had revenue of $37.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.24 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.05 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 30th will be paid a dividend of $2.09 per share. This represents a $8.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.66%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 6,091 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $324.22, for a total transaction of $1,974,824.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,375,680.78. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 12,120 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.40, for a total value of $3,943,848.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 73,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,770,144.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $1,974,824.02. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,375,680.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,811 shares of company stock worth $6,441,376 in the last 90 days. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on HD shares. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Home Depot from $360.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 16th. Barclays raised their price target 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. StockNews.com cut Home Depot from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 15th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.57.

Home Depot Profile

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.