China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 1,422 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,854 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,422 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $6,945,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the third quarter worth about $41,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Home Depot by 36.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 136 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on HD shares. Telsey Advisory Group raised shares of Home Depot from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $455.00 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Home Depot from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Home Depot from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Home Depot from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on Home Depot from $430.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $426.00.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In other Home Depot news, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.58, for a total value of $40,258.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 12,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,018,159.70. This trade represents a 0.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 77,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,727,562. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,188 shares of company stock valued at $15,624,585 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HD opened at $411.86 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $407.86 and a 200 day moving average of $392.62. The firm has a market cap of $409.13 billion, a PE ratio of 27.98, a PEG ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $323.77 and a one year high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.64 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $40.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.31 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.81 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were given a $2.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.14%.

Home Depot 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.