Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Purchases 8,330 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 630,519 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,330 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for 0.6% of Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $245,266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc raised its position in shares of Home Depot by 65.2% during the 4th quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 9,100 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,535,000 after buying an additional 3,590 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 19.5% during the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 23,758 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $9,242,000 after purchasing an additional 3,873 shares during the period. Pensionfund Sabic lifted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 51.4% in the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 11,200 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,357,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 909,530 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $368,542,000 after purchasing an additional 132,967 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital increased its position in shares of Home Depot by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 13,569 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,291,000 after purchasing an additional 1,506 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of HD opened at $353.35 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $395.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $399.08. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1-year low of $323.77 and a 1-year high of $439.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $351.01 billion, a PE ratio of 24.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $39.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The firm’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.82 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $2.30 dividend. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is 61.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on HD shares. KGI Securities raised shares of Home Depot to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $455.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Home Depot from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $436.50.

Home Depot Company 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.