Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Boosts Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 246.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,912 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,233 shares during the period. Home Depot makes up approximately 5.0% of Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $17,519,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Silphium Asset Management Ltd raised its stake 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 worth $5,488,000 after buying an additional 5,900 shares during the period. West Family Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Home Depot by 65.6% during the second quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 3,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,331,000 after acquiring an additional 1,438 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp grew its stake in Home Depot by 0.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 3,608 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Home Depot by 2.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 12,239 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 59.9% in the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 107,438 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $43,533,000 after acquiring an additional 40,232 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HD. UBS Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Home Depot in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Home Depot from $395.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Truist Financial set a $424.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Home Depot from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Home Depot from $370.00 to $350.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $414.52.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In other news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total transaction of $940,669.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,566 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 value of $1,000,949.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,599,069.92. The trade was a 17.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: SRS Distribution (Home Depot subsidiary) agreed to acquire Mingledorff’s, adding 42 HVAC locations across five southeastern states — expands HD’s Pro distribution footprint, strengthens HVAC capabilities, and increases total addressable market to roughly $1.2T. The Home Depot Subsidiary SRS Distribution Enters into Agreement to Acquire Wholesale HVAC Distributor Mingledorff’s
• Positive Sentiment: Home Depot is enhancing its digital Pro shopping experience with AI-driven project planning and management tools to help contractors manage materials, timelines and deliveries — a move that should improve retention, basket size and margins in the Pro channel. The Home Depot beefs up digital shopping experience for pros
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market commentaries (Zacks, Yahoo) show elevated investor attention and comparison pieces highlighting Home Depot as a watched blue‑chip — useful for flow/interest but not an immediate fundamental catalyst. The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane cut its price target on HD from $391 to $348 and put a neutral rating on the stock — a valuation downgrade that can weigh on sentiment and near‑term share performance despite the company’s operational initiatives. BNP Paribas Exane price target cut

Home Depot Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of HD stock opened at $330.83 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $369.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $372.56. 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 Home Depot, Inc. has a 1 year low of $320.26 and a 1 year high of $426.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $329.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.25, a PEG ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.09.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.20. The company 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.13 EPS. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $2.33 per share. This represents a $9.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 65.50%.

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.