Home DepotHDTOP PICKSep 07, 2016Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 04, 2026. Market Open.
Dominant home improvement retailer in US. Its edge is being a one-stop shop for complex, multi-trade projects. Taking share from both LOW and specialty suppliers. Expanded into roofing, building products, and repair/maintenance. Stepped up e-commerce.
13% compound pace of dividend increases over last decade. Lagged effect of interest rate increases in US likely to shore up housing this year and bolster earnings. Yield is 2.50%.
A play on the development of US housing. There is still a run rate that is less than adequate to satisfy the growth of population. The US is basically building 1-1.2 million new household formations each year, and they need closer to 1.5 million to keep up with the population growth. That will lead the housing market to do well, which leads this company to do well. This is also a play on home renovations. If some of the housing market doesn’t do so well, people will stay in their homes and fix them up. They have done a great job in enticing the professional builder into their stores. Their margins are very high, and have doubled over the last 6 years, which is really astounding. Dividend yield of 2.08%.