China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Lowers Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 36.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,282 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 6,975 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $4,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Centerpoint Advisory Group boosted its stake in Home Depot by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group now owns 3,163 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. increased its stake in Home Depot by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. now owns 1,178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $432,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Brio Consultants LLC raised its holdings in Home Depot by 4.7% in the second quarter. Brio Consultants LLC now owns 574 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.5% in the first quarter. Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,878 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $688,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BWM Planning LLC lifted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.7% in the second quarter. BWM Planning LLC now owns 4,105 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,505,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Stock Performance

HD stock opened at $359.52 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.82, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1 year low of $326.31 and a 1 year high of $426.75. The company has a market cap of $357.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $368.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $379.38.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.74 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.83 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $41.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $41.06 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 160.74%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.78 EPS. Home Depot has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.478-14.478 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 4th will be paid a $2.30 dividend. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 4th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is 62.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.26, for a total transaction of $51,947.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,413,763.20. The trade was a 1.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $430.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. UBS Group set a $430.00 target price on Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim decreased their price target on Home Depot from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $424.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday. Finally, HSBC dropped their price objective on Home Depot from $445.00 to $400.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.17.

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.