Flputnam Investment Management Co. lessened its position in shares of  The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 5.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 82,702 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 5,061 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Home Depot were worth $22,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of  Home Depot by 4.1% in the third quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,582 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $437,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period.  Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. lifted its stake in shares of  Home Depot by 7.6% in the second quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 62,508 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $17,144,000 after acquiring an additional 4,419 shares in the last quarter.  Baystate Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of  Home Depot by 0.9% in the second quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,784 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,312,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter.  LeJeune Puetz Investment Counsel LLC lifted its stake in shares of  Home Depot by 9.3% in the second quarter. LeJeune Puetz Investment Counsel LLC now owns 10,600 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $2,907,000 after acquiring an additional 905 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Gabalex Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of  Home Depot by 5.3% in the second quarter. Gabalex Capital Management LLC now owns 50,000 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $13,714,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own  68.31% of the company's stock.

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Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of HD traded up $1.58 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $318.84. 336,751 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,991,244. The company has a market capitalization of $326.40 billion, a PE ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.16, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $320.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $303.15. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $264.51 and a one year high of $374.67.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 15th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.11 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $38.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.96 billion. Home Depot had a negative return on equity of 3,656.69% and a net margin of 10.87%. The company's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.92 EPS.  As a group, sell-side analysts predict that  The Home Depot, Inc. will post 16.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 1st were issued a $1.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date  was Wednesday, November 30th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Home Depot's payout ratio is currently 45.81%.

Insider Activity

In other Home Depot news, Director Paula Santilli bought 1,583 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of $315.80 per share, for a total transaction of $499,911.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,583 shares of the company's stock, valued at $499,911.40. In other news, Director Paula Santilli acquired 1,583 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $315.80 per share, for a total transaction of $499,911.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,583 shares in the company, valued at $499,911.40. Also, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $311.29, for a total value of $622,580.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,928 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,222,747.12.  Corporate insiders own  0.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Cowen boosted their price target on Home Depot from $350.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 13th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Home Depot from $348.00 to $340.00 in a research report on Monday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Home Depot from $392.00 to $394.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 3rd. BNP Paribas cut Home Depot from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $286.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, October 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, December 6th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $337.00 price target on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned  a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Home Depot currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $341.24.

Home Depot Company Profile

The Home Depot, Inc engages in the sale of building materials and home improvement products. Its products include building materials, home improvement products, lawn and garden products and decor products. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: U.S., Canada and Mexico. It offers home improvement installation services, and tool and equipment rental.