Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC Trims Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,977 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 105 shares during the quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $3,881,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HD opened at $347.42 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $398.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $399.42. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $345.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $323.77 and a twelve month high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The business had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.82 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 61.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Home Depot from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded Home Depot to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $436.50.

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.