Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Sells 1,039 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI lowered its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 62,309 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 1,039 shares during the period. Home Depot makes up 1.9% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $24,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot in the third quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE HD opened at $376.66 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $400.21 and its 200-day moving average is $399.81. The stock has a market cap of $374.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $323.77 and a twelve month high of $439.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65.

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

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on HD. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Home Depot from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $356.00 to $410.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Home Depot currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.