Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Sell”

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Home Depot (NYSE:HD) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on HD. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $391.00 to $348.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $381.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $410.86.

Home Depot Price Performance

NYSE HD opened at $317.43 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $339.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $357.57. The company has a market cap of $316.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 1.00. Home Depot has a 1 year low of $310.40 and a 1 year high of $426.75.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $38.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.01 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 134.32%. Home Depot’s quarterly revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.13 EPS. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Home Depot will post 15.03 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were issued a $2.33 dividend. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 65.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Home Depot news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total value of $940,669.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,439,951.74. This represents a 5.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Home Depot

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Parvin Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 110.0% in the 3rd quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Financially Speaking Inc acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Cache Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Home Depot

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2028 earnings estimate for Home Depot, suggesting continued confidence in long-term profitability, with its forecast moving slightly higher to $16.30 per share from $16.26. This kind of estimate revision can help offset some negative sentiment around the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary continues to point to improving home improvement spending, with contractors still favoring Home Depot as one of their top destinations. That supports the case for steadier demand heading into future quarters. Home Improvement Spending Is, Well, Improving. Lowe’s Stock Looks Cheap.
• Neutral Sentiment: Home Depot and Hertz launched a nationwide military appreciation campaign that includes discounts and upgrades for service members and veterans. The initiative may help brand loyalty, but it is not likely to have an immediate material impact on earnings. Home Depot Hertz Military Campaign Aims To Deepen Long Term Loyalty
• Neutral Sentiment: Home Depot is drawing analyst attention in broader market coverage, but the article does not indicate a major new catalyst by itself. Home Depot, Apollo, Oscar, Nutrien, Enovix Trending With Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Gordon Haskett lowered its price target on Home Depot from $395 to $330, signaling reduced upside expectations even though the new target still sits above the current share price. That kind of cut can weigh on investor sentiment. Gordon Haskett Adjusts Home Depot Price Target to 330 From 395

About Home Depot

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.