Home Depot Inc: A Surprisingly Strong Dividend Stock

 

Up 20% Already…More to Come?

  


“Home Depot Inc Is Now a Top Pick for Dividend Investors”—that’s the title of an Income Investors article I wrote back in March. In that piece, I explained why Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) could be “a solid income opportunity.”

 

I hope you took advantage of that piece. Even though the U.S. economy took a major hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic—and the stock market had a major sell-off in March—Home Depot’s business has actually been firing on all cylinders. In fact, since that article was published on March 5, HD stock has surged 20.5%.

 

The best part is, the opportunity might not be over just yet. Although Home Depot stock is now more expensive than when I last wrote about it, its dividend growth potential remains as strong as ever.

 

You see, Home Depot’s founders started the business back in 1978 with the goal of building home improvement superstores larger than any of the competitors’ facilities. And they’ve indeed accomplished that, as the company is now known for its big-box format stores.

 

Operating 2,293 stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Canada, and Mexico, Home Depot Inc is currently one of the largest home improvement retailers in the world.

 

Of course, being a brick-and-mortar retailer means the company faces two challenges: COVID-19 and ecommerce.

 

 

 

 

The coronavirus outbreak has turned into a worldwide pandemic; as a result of the lockdowns, sales plunged at numerous retail businesses. At the same time, consumers have been shopping increasingly online, and the rise of ecommerce has led to the decline of many physical retailers.

 

The good news is that Home Depot, Inc managed to turn those headwinds into catalysts.

 

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