Empirical Asset Management LLC Boosts Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Empirical Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 16,123 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,025 shares during the period. Home Depot comprises approximately 1.0% of Empirical Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Empirical Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $6,533,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Silphium Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in Home Depot by 77.2% during the 3rd quarter. Silphium Asset Management Ltd now owns 13,544 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,488,000 after purchasing an additional 5,900 shares during the period. West Family Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Home Depot by 65.6% in the 2nd quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 3,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,331,000 after buying an additional 1,438 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.3% during the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 1,095,113 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $443,729,000 after buying an additional 3,608 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.3% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 534,564 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $216,600,000 after buying an additional 12,239 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 59.9% during the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 107,438 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $43,533,000 after acquiring an additional 40,232 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In other news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 2,872 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.52, for a total transaction of $1,000,949.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,196 shares in the company, valued at $4,599,069.92. This represents a 17.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Angie Brown sold 1,946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $357.63, for a total transaction of $695,947.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,941 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,409,419.83. The trade was a 33.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,963 shares of company stock worth $1,748,845. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Home Depot News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Home Depot this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and revenue slightly above expectations — adjusted EPS of $2.72 topped estimates and revenue of $38.2B edged past the street, driven by modest comparable-sales improvement and margin gains. CNBC: Home Depot beats
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised and dividend-case momentum — company increased its quarterly payout (1.3%) and MarketBeat highlights growing institutional accumulation and dividend-investor interest that can support multiple and lower volatility over time. PR Newswire: Dividend & results MarketBeat: Accumulation
• Positive Sentiment: Business mix resilience — Home Depot’s professional (B2B) and contractor business is a growing share of sales (nearer to 50%), helping offset weaker DIY demand and making revenue less cyclical. PYMNTS: B2B share
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — at least one shop (DA Davidson) raised its price target significantly and reiterated a buy view, signaling confidence from some sell‑side desks. The Fly: Price target raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Company backed FY26 guidance but it’s conservative — FY26 EPS range was given (14.230–14.799), with the midpoint a touch below consensus; management kept outlook steady rather than upgrading it. MarketBeat: Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst tone and peer comparison — some outlets praise HD’s stability, while others point to Lowe’s as a potentially cheaper/stronger short‑term trade; analysts’ price targets remain dispersed. Barron’s: Lowe’s comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Sales decline and housing weakness — total revenue fell ~3.8% YoY, management described a “frozen” housing environment and said homeowners are delaying big projects due to affordability and job worries, which dampens the demand outlook. NYT: Homeowners wary Seeking Alpha: Frozen housing
• Negative Sentiment: Margins and income compression — income contracted and adjusted EPS declined vs. last year (partly due to calendar effects), so earnings quality questions and slower topline growth are risks until housing activity recovers. Zacks: Sales miss context

Home Depot Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE:HD opened at $384.66 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $382.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.22, a PEG ratio of 13.49 and a beta of 1.08. 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 one year low of $326.31 and a one year high of $426.75. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $370.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $380.12.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.20. Home Depot had a return on equity of 160.74% and a net margin of 8.77%.The company had revenue of $38.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on HD shares. Evercore cut their price target on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $425.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $424.00 to $454.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Home Depot from $445.00 to $400.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $405.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Home Depot from $450.00 to $430.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Home Depot has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $410.53.

Home Depot Profile

The Home Depot, Inc (NYSE: HD) is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and an integrated online platform offering a broad range of products and services for do-it-yourself consumers, professional contractors and businesses. The company was founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since opening its first stores at the end of the 1970s, Home Depot has grown into a multinational retailer known for its orange-branded stores and wide assortment of home improvement merchandise.

Home Depot’s core business includes the sale of building materials, lumber, tools, hardware, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn and garden products, and home décor.