Topic: How To Invest

Do you feel that Home Depot is a good stock going forward at today’s price? Assuming it is held over the long term in a retirement portfolio, is this company too risky in a rising rate environment?

Article Excerpt

Home Depot, $109.37, symbol HD on New York (Shares outstanding: 1.3 billion; Market cap: $142.8 billion; www.homedepot.com), operates warehouse-style home-improvement stores that average 104,000 square feet, plus an additional 24,000-square-foot garden centre. Each outlet typically carries 30,000 to 40,000 items. The company has 2,269 locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Guam. Home Depot’s sales rose 5.4% in the quarter ended November 2, 2014, to $20.5 billion from $19.5 billion a year earlier. Sales gained even though the company disclosed in September 2014 that online attackers stole 53 million customer emails and gained access to 56 million credit cards. Earnings rose 13.8%, to $1.54 billion from $1.35 billion. Per-share earnings increased 20.8%, to $1.16 from $0.96, on fewer shares outstanding. The company incurred a $28-million charge for the data breach in the latest quarter, but that was offset by a $100-million gain from the sale of part of its stake in industrial distribution company HD Supply Holdings Inc. The stock trades at…