Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Sells 400 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 8.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,292 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $1,646,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bare Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 53.3% in the fourth quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 92 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In other Home Depot news, EVP Matt Carey sold 56,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.18, for a total transaction of $19,332,841.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,325 shares in the company, valued at $11,503,123.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of Home Depot stock opened at $344.24 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $338.51 and a 200 day moving average of $352.74. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $274.26 and a 12 month high of $396.87. The firm has a market cap of $341.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 23.11.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 14th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.02. Home Depot had a return on equity of 1,056.67% and a net margin of 9.79%. The company had revenue of $36.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were given a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Home Depot from $425.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Home Depot from $411.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. DA Davidson upgraded Home Depot from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $352.00 to $395.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Home Depot from $415.00 to $395.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $378.42.

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.