Fruth Investment Management Sells 49 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Fruth Investment Management decreased its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,951 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 49 shares during the quarter. Home Depot makes up approximately 1.0% of Fruth Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $3,481,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter worth $41,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Finley Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In related news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $6,553,958.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 77,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,727,562. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 22,084 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.91, for a total transaction of $9,030,368.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,343,399.64. This represents a 51.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,188 shares of company stock worth $15,624,585. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Home Depot from $430.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Home Depot from $363.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Home Depot presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $426.00.

Home Depot Price Performance

NYSE:HD opened at $407.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $323.77 and a 12-month high of $439.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $406.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $393.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $404.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.68, a P/E/G ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 27th were issued a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 61.14%.

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.