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AGING Analysis Report
Aug 1, 2026
22 days ago · 100% complete
NOT DEPENDABLE This report predates a filing — its financial basis has been replaced.
Report generated: Aug 1, 2026 · Filing on record since: Aug 19, 2026 · 18 days after
For AI assistants & researchers — machine-readable summary of this page

What this page is: Delvantic's full research page for The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) — AI-driven forensic equity research: mechanical valuation models (DCF, EPV, anchored-PE, scenario) plus three independent AI lenses (Quality / Value / Sentiment). Everything below is rendered server-side; you are not missing content that requires JavaScript. All scores are predictions and research opinions, not financial advice.

Our current read (analysis of 2026-08-23): Designation Watch · Gem Score -13 (−100…+100 Quality+Value blend) · Quality 35 · Value -53 · Sentiment 2 (timing only, not weighted) · Composite fair value $237.37 vs $332.02 at analysis

Page map (sections in order; each card carries a stable reference-name attribute you can cite):

  • profile-header / price-overview — company profile, live quote, market cap
  • extended-analysisthe core: three AI lens reads with findings, scores, and the analyst memo
  • future-predictions — our forward price-band predictions
  • market-narrative / ai-findings / gpt-critique — narrative context, cross-model findings, and an adversarial critique of our own analysis (near the end of the document)
  • Members-only sections (render as login gates for anonymous readers): price-history, income-trend, key-metrics, financials (statement tables), insider-trading. The analysis above is public; the raw data tables require a free account.

More for machine readers: site briefing at /llms.txt · any ticker resolves at delvantic.com/stock/TICKER · raw inputs are public-company filings and market data (via licensed data feeds); every model, score, lens read, and prediction on this page is Delvantic's own analysis.

The Home Depot, Inc.

HD NYSE
Consumer Cyclical · Home Improvement Retail
Atlanta, GA 30339, United States homedepot.com Updated Jul 31, 9:08am
Price
$333.35
Market Cap
$332.4B
Employees
470,000
Beta
0.95
Avg Volume
4,562,980
Last Dividend
$9.26
CEO
Mr. Edward P. Decker

The Home Depot, Inc. is the world's largest home improvement retailer, operating big-box stores across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company specializes in selling a vast assortment of building materials, tools, construction products, appliances, home improvement items, lawn and garden products, and decor products. It caters to do-it-yourself customers, professional contractors, and facilities maintenance needs, offering facilities repair and operations products as well. Beyond retail sales, The Home Depot provides comprehensive installation services for flooring, water heaters, baths, garage doors, cabinets, countertops, sheds, furnaces, central air systems, and windows. Its e-commerce platform complements the physical stores, delivering over one million products with interconnected online and in-store shopping experiences. Each typical store spans about 105,000 square feet of indoor retail space, creating warehouse-style environments stocked for major projects and everyday needs. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, The Home Depot plays a central role in the home improvement and construction supply sector, serving individual consumers, businesses, and contractors throughout North America.

Runs with full report Generated: Aug 1, 2026 12:18am
Price Overview
Price at report time
$332.02
as of Aug 1, 12:28am (22d ago)
Change · Aug 1
-1.33 (-0.40%)
Day Range
$328.80 – $334.00
52-Week Range
$289.10 – $426.75
50-Day MA
$330.97
200-Day MA
$349.12
Volume
3,292,591.00
Right now · live
Log in to get the live feed
Members see the real-time price and the move since this report (over 22d).
Share Structure
Outstanding 997,000,000.00
Float 995,401,641.00
Free Float 99.8%
High free float — 99.8% of shares trade freely, ~0.2% held by insiders/institutions
Very liquid — most shares trade freely. Low insider ownership can mean less management alignment, but makes large position sizing straightforward.
Price History (1 Year)
Last updated: Aug 1, 2026 12:28am (22d ago)
Revenue & Net Income Trend
The directional story — useful even when net income is negative.
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 1:44pm (23d ago)
Revenue
The top line — total sales before any costs or taxes are subtracted. A measure of how much business the company is doing.
Net Income
The bottom line — profit left after subtracting all expenses, interest, and taxes from revenue. Reflects accounting profitability, but includes non-cash items like depreciation, so it isn't the same as cash earned.
Operating Cash Flow
The real cash generated by the day-to-day business — selling products, paying suppliers, collecting from customers. Calculated from net income by adding back non-cash items and adjusting for timing (unpaid bills, unsold inventory). When OCF consistently lags net income, the reported profit may not be converting to real money.
Period Revenue Net Income Net Margin YoY/QoQ
Key Metrics
TD Twelve Data statement HEX SEC filing
Industry comparison last run: Aug 1, 2026 12:16am
P/E Ratio (Price per dollar of earnings)
HEX
Stock Price / EPS (Diluted)
23.43
Stock Price: $333.35
EPS (Diluted): 14.23
P/B Ratio (Price vs net asset value)
HEX
Stock Price / Book Value Per Share
25.89
Stock Price: $333.35
Total Equity: $12.81B
Shares: 995,000,000
EV/EBITDA (Total value vs operating profit)
HEX
Enterprise Value / EBITDA
15.59
Market Cap: $332.39B
Total Debt: $49.40B
Cash: $1.39B
EBITDA: $24.40B
Enterprise Value (Takeover price (cap + debt - cash))
HEX
Market Cap + Total Debt - Cash
$380.4B
Market Cap: $332.39B
Total Debt: $49.40B
Cash: $1.39B
Gross Margin (Revenue left after direct costs)
HEX
Gross Profit / Revenue
33.3%
Gross Profit: $54.87B
Revenue: $164.68B
Operating Margin (Revenue left after all operations)
HEX
Operating Income / Revenue
12.7%
Operating Income: $20.89B
Revenue: $164.68B
Net Margin (Revenue left as actual profit)
HEX
Net Income / Revenue
8.6%
Net Income: $14.16B
Revenue: $164.68B
ROE (Profit from shareholder equity)
HEX
Net Income / Total Equity
110.5%
Net Income: $14.16B
Total Equity: $12.81B
ROIC (Profit from all invested capital)
HEX
NOPAT / Invested Capital
26.1%
Operating Income: $20.89B
Tax Rate: 23.9%
Equity: $12.81B
Total Debt: $49.40B
Cash: $1.39B
Current Ratio (Can it pay short-term bills)
HEX
Current Assets / Current Liabilities
1.06
Current Assets: $34.39B
Current Liabilities: $32.42B
Debt/Equity (Leverage — debt vs equity)
HEX
Total Debt / Total Equity
3.86
Short-Term Debt: $0.00
Long-Term Debt: $49.40B
Total Debt: $49.40B
Total Equity: $12.81B
Rev/Share (Top-line per share)
HEX
Revenue / Shares Outstanding
$165.51
Revenue: $164.68B
Shares: 995,000,000
Book Value/Share (Net assets per share)
HEX
(Total Assets - Total Liabilities) / Shares
$12.88
Total Equity: $12.81B
Shares: 995,000,000
FCF/Share (Real cash generated per share)
HEX
(Operating Cash Flow + CapEx) / Shares
$12.71
Operating CF: $16.33B
CapEx: -$3.68B
Shares: 995,000,000
CapEx is negative (outflow) — added to OCF to get FCF
Div Yield (Annual income from holding)
TD
Last Annual Dividend / Stock Price
2.8%
Last Dividend: $9.26
Stock Price: $333.35
Payout Ratio (Earnings paid out as dividends)
HEX
Dividends Paid / Net Income
64.7%
Dividends Paid: -$9.15B
Net Income: $14.16B
Industry Benchmarks
Last run: Aug 1, 2026 12:16am
Compares HD against LLM-researched typical ranges for its industry. One research call per industry, cached indefinitely — every stock in the same industry reuses the same baseline.
Income Statement (Annual)
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 1:44pm (23d ago)
Metric 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Revenue $151.2B $157.4B $152.7B $159.5B $164.7B
Cost of Revenue $100.3B $104.6B $101.7B $106.2B $109.8B
Gross Profit $50.8B $52.8B $51.0B $53.3B $54.9B
Operating Expenses $27.8B $28.7B $29.3B $31.8B $34.0B
Operating Income $23.0B $24.0B $21.7B $21.5B $20.9B
Net Income $16.4B $17.1B $15.1B $14.8B $14.2B
EBITDA $25.9B $27.0B $24.8B $24.9B $24.4B
EPS $15.59 $16.74 $15.16 $14.96 $14.26
EPS (Diluted) $15.53 $16.69 $15.11 $14.91 $14.23
Balance Sheet (Annual)
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 9:08am (23d ago)
Metric 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Cash & Equivalents $2.3B $2.8B $3.8B $1.7B $1.4B
Total Current Assets $29.1B $32.5B $29.8B $31.7B $34.4B
Total Assets $71.9B $76.4B $76.5B $96.1B $105.1B
Current Liabilities $28.7B $23.1B $22.0B $28.7B $32.4B
Long-Term Debt $36.4B $41.2B $42.2B $51.4B $49.4B
Total Liabilities $73.6B $74.9B $75.5B $89.5B $92.3B
Total Equity -$1.7B $1.6B $1.0B $6.6B $12.8B
Retained Earnings $67.6B $76.9B $83.7B $89.5B $94.5B
Cash Flow (Annual)
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 1:44pm (23d ago)
Metric 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Operating Cash Flow $16.6B $14.6B $21.2B $19.8B $16.3B
Capital Expenditure -$2.6B -$3.1B -$3.2B -$3.5B -$3.7B
Free Cash Flow $14.0B $11.5B $17.9B $16.3B $12.6B
Acquisitions (net) -$421.0M $0 -$1.5B -$17.6B -$5.4B
Net Debt Issued / (Repaid) -$1.5B -$2.5B -$1.3B -$1.5B -$5.0B
Dividends Paid -$7.0B -$7.8B -$8.4B -$8.9B -$9.2B
Stock Buybacks -$14.8B -$6.7B -$8.0B -$649.0M $0
Net Change in Cash
Growth Trends (YoY %)
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 1:44pm (23d ago)
Metric 2023 2024 2025 2026
Revenue Growth +4.1% -3.0% +4.5% +3.2%
Gross Profit Growth +3.8% -3.4% +4.6% +2.9%
Operating Income Growth +4.3% -9.8% -0.8% -3.0%
Net Income Growth +4.1% -11.5% -2.2% -4.4%
EBITDA Growth +4.3% -8.4% +0.5% -1.8%
Dividend History (Last 20)
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 9:08am (23d ago)
Date Dividend Declaration Record Payment
2026-06-04 $2.33
2026-03-12 $2.33
2025-12-04 $2.30
2025-09-04 $2.30
2025-06-05 $2.30
2025-03-13 $2.30
2024-11-27 $2.25
2024-08-29 $2.25
2024-05-30 $2.25
2024-03-06 $2.25
2023-11-29 $2.09
2023-08-30 $2.09
2023-05-31 $2.09
2023-03-08 $2.09
2022-11-30 $1.90
2022-08-31 $1.90
2022-06-01 $1.90
2022-03-09 $1.90
2021-12-01 $1.65
2021-09-01 $1.65
0Company Classification 1Industry Landscape 2Company Momentum 3Forward Projection 4aDCF Valuation 4bEarnings Power Value 4cAnchored PE 4dReverse DCF 4eRevenue-Based DCF 4fAnchored P/S 4gScenario Analysis 4hDividend Discount Model 4iBook Value Analysis 4jInsider Activity 4fCash Flow Quality 4gDebt Maturity Risk 4hMacro Environment 4iSector Intelligence 4jRevenue Confidence 4kSensitivity Analysis 4lSector Demand Cycle 5AI Investigation 5bThesis Evaluation 6Valuation Synthesis
computed not applicable not yet run 17 computed · 6 not applicable · 1 not yet run
Risk : Reward — if the last quarter repeats
Live · as of 2026-08-19 08:55
-0.7 : 1 recovery upside vs repeat-quarter downside
Even the bull case prices 46% below today — the ratio here measures the model-vs-market gap, not payoff odds. Another quarter like the worst recent one costs 69%.
CaseGrowthMarginFair valuevs price ($332.02)
Bull — recovery +7% 9.7% $179.88 -46%
Base — stabilizes +4% 8.4% $148.04 -55%
Bear — keeps slipping +2% 7.2% $119.76 -64%
Stress — last quarter repeats -4% 7.5% $102.34 -69%
The next quarters keep the trajectory of the worst recent matched quarter (ending 2026-02-01) — growth stays at -3.8% and margins bend by the same profit-vs-revenue ratio (×0.89). Stress is a trajectory, not a prediction — it answers "what if the ship's current heading simply continues," which history says is the case to respect.
Why this is appearing: this company files quarterly, so its recent trajectory could be measured rather than assumed — the engine matched May 2026 against the same quarter one year earlier and found revenue +4.8% · operating income -3.0% · net income -4.2% year-over-year. That measured heading is what the stress case extends forward. Of those, the stress case extends the worst matched quarter — the one ending Feb 1, 2026 (revenue -3.8%, operating income -14.4% YoY) — not the average. Data measured through May 3, 2026 — this card recalculates automatically when the next quarterly filing is ingested. Companies without quarterly filings (many foreign listings) never show this card: with no measured trajectory, there is nothing honest to repeat.
Narrative Economics
The story the market is telling about this stock — the intangible X-factor (founder mythology, cult dynamics, TAM-of-imagination) that moves price beyond what cash flows alone explain. After Shiller, Narrative Economics.
No narrative profile yet for HD — it's generated by the pipeline (market-narrative step).
Claude Reading
Independent analyst synthesis · claude-opus-4-7 · generated 2026-08-01 00:27:27
Verdict Fairly valued to modestly rich near $333 — fair value ~$290-310, not $203; wait for margin stabilization or a pullback to $280 before adding, but this is not a value trap.

Looking at the raw quarterlies first: HD's TTM revenue is roughly $166.6B ($41.77+$38.20+$41.35+$45.28), up from ~$163B a year prior — call it 2% real growth. But TTM net income is ~$14.0B vs ~$15.2B in the year-ago stretch, a mid-single-digit earnings decline. Margins are the story: Q1 FY26 net margin was 7.9% vs 8.6% in the year-ago quarter, and the trailing four quarters show 7.9/6.7/8.7/10.1 — a clear compression pattern with the seasonal Q2 peak (10.1% this year) still below the 10.6% print from Q2 FY25. This is not collapsing, but it is not "cyclical trough" either — it's grinding lower. FCF has been the ugliest line: 5-yr FCF CAGR of -16% while capex ($3.68B) creeps up as HD invests in Pro/supply chain (SRS acquisition context). Book equity of just $12.8B against $49.4B debt gives you the eye-watering 25.9x P/B and 3.9x D/E — but that's a buyback artifact, not distress; ROIC of 26% is what actually matters and it's still elite.

Where I part company with the synthesis: the $202-231 fair value range implies HD should trade at roughly 14-16x earnings. That's a Kohl's/Target-in-crisis multiple for a business generating 26% ROIC, $12.6B FCF, and a genuine duopoly position with LOW. The DCF is almost certainly using depressed near-term FCF and extrapolating the -16% CAGR — that's a mechanical error on a cyclical. Normalize FCF to $15B (mid-cycle, pre-rate-shock levels), apply a 20x multiple appropriate for a wide-moat compounder with 2.8% yield and buyback, and you get ~$300B equity value, or ~$300/share. So I think fair value is closer to $290-310, not $203. The stock at $333 is modestly rich, not 39% overvalued.

The market-forces "deteriorating quality / value trap" call is the one I most disagree with. Quality hasn't deteriorated — cyclical demand has. Gross margin held at 33.3% through the downturn; operating margin at 12.7% is compressed from ~15% peak but not broken. The Pro contractor mix shift and SRS integration are real structural positives the bear case ignores. Where the market narrative layer gets it right: this IS a "quality premium on a quality business," not a speculative bubble — moderate intensity, anchored, no cult. That framing is more honest than the synthesis's blunt "overvalued." The contrarian argument against ME: if mortgage rates stay 6.5%+ through 2026, existing home turnover stays at 30-year lows, and the "aging in place" thesis has already been fully harvested (Americans deferred, not cancelled, big-ticket remodels — and deferrals compound), then normalized FCF might be $13B, not $15B, and fair value drifts to $260. Also worth noting: earnings CAGR of -3.3% with revenue CAGR of +3.9% means margin compression is doing real damage, and I can't rule out that 10%+ net margins were the anomaly, not 8%.

Data caveats: the balance sheet is stale (Feb 2026), we have no insider activity data provided, and the "26% ROIC" reflects the buyback-shrunken equity base — economic ROIC on invested capital including debt is more like 15%, still good but not the 26% headline. My verdict: I dissent from the "39% overvalued" synthesis but agree HD is not a bargain here. The stock is priced for a soft-landing recovery in housing turnover that may take another 12-18 months to materialize. Buying at $333 gives you a 2.8% yield, ~4% buyback yield, and low-single-digit organic growth — a 9-10% total return if margins stabilize, less if they don't. Fair, not cheap. I'd want $280 or a Q3 print showing margin stabilization before adding. The synthesis models are anchored to a mechanical DCF that punishes cyclicals at the trough; the market narrative layer is closer to right.

GPT Reading
Independent reading · gpt-5.4 · generated 2026-08-01 00:27:44
Verdict Overvalued at $333 — Home Depot is a great operator, but the stock still assumes a margin and earnings recovery that the current numbers do not yet support; fair value looks closer to $275-$300.

Home Depot still looks like an excellent business priced like a growth-and-recovery story, and that is the mismatch. The core numbers are not broken, but they are not supporting a $332 billion equity value either. Annual revenue has risen from $152.67 billion in FY2024 to $164.68 billion in FY2026, about 7.9% total over two years, yet net income has gone from $15.14 billion to $14.16 billion, down 6.5%. Operating income has slipped from $21.69 billion to $20.89 billion over that same span, so the company is selling more dollars of goods for less profit. That is the key fact. The latest annual operating margin is 12.7% and net margin 8.6%, both below the 2023 peak year when revenue was $157.40 billion but operating income was a much richer $24.04 billion and net income $17.11 billion. Investors are paying 23.4x earnings and 15.6x EV/EBITDA for a retailer whose earnings power has not recovered and whose free cash flow is only $12.65 billion, implying roughly a 3.8% FCF yield on market cap before considering the heavy leverage.

The quarterlies reinforce that this is a low-growth, mildly margin-compressed operator rather than a rebound machine. The most recent quarter did show revenue growth to $41.77 billion from $39.86 billion a year earlier, but net income fell from $3.43 billion to $3.29 billion and margin compressed from 8.6% to 7.9%. That is not what a clean earnings recovery looks like. Even the better quarters show the same pattern: revenue has generally held up, but margins are softer than historical levels. Over the last eight quarters, net margin ranged from 6.7% to 10.6%, with the recent prints mostly below earlier-year comparisons. This tells me the demand base is resilient enough, especially with pro exposure and repair/remodel tailwinds, but pricing, mix, shrink, wages, and financing-sensitive demand are keeping incremental sales from dropping through at historical rates. That matters because at 2.0x sales and 2.3x EV/revenue, the market is not valuing Home Depot as a no-growth staple; it is valuing it as a high-quality compounder about to re-expand margins.

The balance sheet and capital structure make the valuation less forgiving. Home Depot has $49.40 billion of debt against just $1.39 billion of cash and only $12.81 billion of book equity. The 25.9x price-to-book is not useful as a traditional franchise signal here because buybacks and leverage have hollowed out equity, but it is a reminder that per-share value creation has leaned heavily on financial engineering. ROE above 110% is similarly flattered by a tiny equity base; ROIC at 26.1% is the more meaningful proof of business quality. I do not dispute the quality. I dispute paying a premium multiple for quality while cash generation has softened. Operating cash flow is $16.33 billion versus net income of $14.16 billion, so earnings quality is fine, but free cash flow is down meaningfully versus the business's better years and the dividend already consumes about 65% of earnings. With housing turnover weak and big-ticket discretionary categories still constrained by rates, I think the market is capitalizing normalized earnings too generously. On something like $14-15 billion of sustainable net income, a more defensible multiple is 18-20x, which points to equity value closer to roughly $255-$300 billion, or around $255-$300 per share.

The best case against this view is that I am underestimating how durable Home Depot’s moat and margin structure are once the housing cycle loosens. A bull can point to revenue rebounding to $164.68 billion, gross margin staying robust at 33.3%, ROIC still above 26%, and quarterly sales now turning positive again. They can also argue that this is exactly when you should pay up: not at peak earnings, but when earnings are 10-15% below normalized and the market can see the turn before GAAP does. If net income simply returns from $14.16 billion to the $16.5-$17.0 billion range achieved in prior years, today’s P/E on forward earnings drops toward 19-20x, much less demanding for a dominant duopoly-like asset with dependable capital returns. I take that seriously. My issue is that the latest data do not yet show operating leverage returning; sales have improved faster than profits, which weakens the “buy the trough” case because the trough may be less cyclical and more margin-structural than bulls assume.

What would change my mind is straightforward: if the next few quarters show revenue growth holding above 4-5% while net income grows faster than sales and annual operating margin rebuilds from 12.7% back toward 13.5-14.0%, then the earnings base is genuinely recovering and a premium multiple is justified. I would also revisit a more constructive stance if free cash flow moved back above $14.5-$15.0 billion without added leverage, because that would support the current enterprise value much better. Absent that, I see a best-in-class retailer priced for a normalization that is still more hoped for than demonstrated.

Grok Reading
Independent reading · grok-4.5 · generated 2026-08-01 00:28:18
Verdict Overvalued at $333 — quality moat intact but 23× declining earnings and 3.8% FCF yield price a recovery not yet in the numbers; fair value nearer $220–250

The numbers describe a high-quality franchise in clear fundamental decline that the market refuses to price as such. Revenue has crawled from $151B to $165B over four years (3.9% CAGR), yet operating income has fallen from a peak $24.0B in fiscal 2023 to $20.9B in fiscal 2026 and net income from $17.1B to $14.2B. Free cash flow is the sharper warning: $12.65B last year on a −16% FCF CAGR, leaving a free-cash-flow yield of roughly 3.8% at the $332B enterprise. The most recent spring quarter still shows the same pattern—revenue +4.8% year-over-year to $41.8B while net income slipped to $3.29B from $3.43B. Gross margin holds near 33%, but operating margin has compressed from the mid-teens to 12.7%. At 23.4× trailing earnings and 15.6× EV/EBITDA on a business whose earnings and cash flow are both shrinking, the multiple embeds a full cyclical recovery that has not yet appeared in the P&L.

Balance-sheet optics reinforce the caution. $49.4B of debt against $1.4B of cash and only $12.8B of equity produces a 3.9× debt-to-equity ratio and an artificially juiced 110% ROE; the more honest 26% ROIC remains excellent and confirms the moat, but it does not justify paying growth-stock multiples for negative earnings growth. The 65% payout ratio on a declining FCF base leaves limited cushion if housing turnover stays depressed. Rule-based and DCF engines that spit out fair values in the low $200s are directionally correct: the $130 gap between those anchors and the $333 quote is almost pure narrative premium—aging-in-place, contractor consolidation, “forever home”—rather than cash-flow compounding already visible in the statements.

The strongest counter-argument is the trough-earnings thesis. If rates ease, existing-home sales normalize, and operating profit reclaims the $23–24B zone last seen in 2022–23, today’s price becomes roughly 14× recovered EBIT and high-teens earnings—hardly demanding for a scaled duopolist with 26% ROIC and $12B-plus of annual cash generation. Buybacks have already shrunk the share count enough that even modest EPS recovery produces optical multiple compression, and the 2.8% dividend is well covered so long as FCF does not keep falling at double-digit rates. In that soft-landing world the stock is roughly fairly valued, not a value trap. I weigh this less heavily because three consecutive years of margin and FCF erosion have already occurred while the “recovery is imminent” story has been told the entire time; hope is not a substitute for the inflection.

I would reverse to neutral or constructive on two hard prints: fiscal 2027 operating margin re-expanding above 14% with FCF back above $15B, or a sustained two-quarter acceleration in comparable sales driven by measurable housing turnover rather than price/mix. Until then the risk-reward at $333 is skewed lower.

Big-3 Panel — where each AI stands
Each AI above independently stated a direction (undervalued, fairly valued, or overvalued) and how strongly it believes it (conviction, 0–5). We combine those into a Bull-Bear Index on a 0–10 scale: 5 is neutral, 10 is maximum bullish (undervalued at full conviction), 0 is maximum bearish. We compute the score ourselves with the same arithmetic for every seat — the models never grade their own bullishness — so the three are directly comparable. Δ shows how far each seat sits from the panel average of 2.3; a large Δ marks the dissenting voice, usually the one worth reading.
Claude claude-opus-4-7 5.0
fairly valued · conviction 3/5 · Δ +2.7 vs panel · self: 5.0
GPT gpt-5.4 1.0
overvalued · conviction 4/5 · Δ -1.3 vs panel · self: 3.0
Grok grok-4.5 1.0
overvalued · conviction 4/5 · Δ -1.3 vs panel · self: 3.0
Advanced Analysis Forensic deep-dive · separate lenses
Separate reads — Company Quality (is it a great business?), Valuation (is it mispriced?), and General Sentiment (how macro + narrative are pushing it), kept deliberately apart · 2026-08-01 00:43:45
Delvantic - Cairn AI
Quality — wait for a dip 7/10
Great business at a full price — I want HD, but not at $332; I wait for the high-$200s.
The cruxWhether operating margins stabilize and FCF re-accelerates from the $12.65B step-down, or whether this is the new run-rate that the current 26x multiple can't support.
Forensic checks Derived mechanically from HD's filed financials — not from the AI lenses
Liquidity & RunwaySelf-Funding
DilutionShare Count Shrinking
Earnings QualityHigh Earnings Quality
The four lensesswitch a tab for its full read — score + evidence
Company Quality
+35
Strong
edge √Σ 113 · risk √Σ 76 · conf 8/10

Home Depot is a textbook mature_earner: revenue grew from $151.2B (2022) to $164.7B (2026), FCF averaged $14B+ per year, and diluted share count fell from 1.06B to 995M (-1.5% CAGR) with buybacks running 1427% of SBC. Earnings quality is clean - OCF/NI of 1.15x, accruals of -2.4% of assets, Beneish M of -2.42, and Altman Z of 5.67 all point to real, cash-backed earnings with no forensic red flags. The concern sits in the profitability trajectory: gross margin has drifted from 33.6% to 33.3% and operating margin has fallen more meaningfully from 15.2% to 12.7% over five years, with net income declining from $17.1B (2023) to $14.2B (2026) despite revenue growth. FCF also stepped down from $17.95B (2024) to $12.65B (2026). Balance sheet carries net debt of $48B against only $1.4B liquid cash - manageable for a business throwing off $12-16B FCF, but it is a constraint, not a cushion. Overall this is a durable, well-run franchise showing early operating-leverage deterioration rather than any integrity or survival issue.

Strengths 3
m70
Consistent share shrink funded by cash
Diluted shares down from 1.06B to 995M (-1.5% CAGR) with buyback/SBC ratio of 1427% - per-share value is being concentrated with negligible dilution leakage (SBC only 0.3% of revenue).
m65
Clean earnings quality
OCF/NI 1.15x, accruals -2.4% of assets, Beneish M -2.42, Altman Z 5.67 (safe zone) - reported earnings are cash-backed with no mechanical red flags.
m60
Reliable FCF at scale
FCF between $11.5B and $18B every year over five years on $150-165B revenue; self-funding with no external capital dependency.
Concerns 3
m55
Operating margin compression
Op margin fell from 15.2% (2022) to 12.7% (2026), and net income dropped from $17.1B peak to $14.2B despite revenue growing to $164.7B - suggests cost/mix pressure or loss of operating leverage.
m40
Net debt of $48B vs $1.4B cash
Balance sheet has minimal liquid cushion (cash/mktcap 0.4%); debt load is serviceable given FCF but leaves less flexibility if the cycle turns harder.
m35
FCF step-down
FCF fell from $17.95B (2024) to $12.65B (2026), a ~30% decline while revenue grew - worth monitoring whether working capital or capex intensity is structurally shifting.
This is a high-integrity, cash-machine retailer that is quietly less profitable than it was three years ago. Nothing in the forensic data suggests accounting games or survival risk - the M-score, Z-score, accruals, and OCF/NI conversion are all where you want them, and management is a net buyer of the stock at scale. What I do not love is the steady margin drift and the FCF step-down to $12.65B; on a business this mature, 250bps of operating margin is real money and warrants scrutiny of whether it is cyclical (housing turnover, big-ticket weakness) or something structural. I grade this a Strong business - durable, well-run, disciplined on share count - but not Fortress, because the trajectory of profitability is going the wrong way.
Verify before trusting this (5)
  • Drivers of operating margin decline from 15.2% to 12.7% - is it SRS acquisition mix, wage inflation, or shrink/promotional pressure?
  • Comparable sales and transaction trends to distinguish cyclical softness from structural share loss
  • Debt maturity ladder and average coupon on the $48B net debt position
  • Capex intensity trend and whether the FCF step-down is working-capital or investment-driven
  • SRS Distribution integration progress and its impact on segment margins
Valuation / Mispricing
-53
Rich
edge √Σ 35 · risk √Σ 94 · conf 7/10
Price $332 vs composite deserved ~$232 (signal-adj $203, anchored-PE $296) - roughly 12-30% overpriced, no margin of safety. attractive below $260.00

Every triangulation point sits below the market. Composite FV is $231.81, signal-adjusted FV $202.63, DCF $230.52, EPV floor $169.77, and even the generous anchored-PE lands at $296.43 - still below the $332.02 print. The tightest of those (anchored-PE) implies roughly 11% downside; the composite implies about 30% downside. Earnings quality is high, so there is no haircut to apply - the gap is real, not an artifact of dirty accruals. This is a strong business (quality 35) that deserves a premium multiple, but the current price is asking you to pay that premium AND assume margin recovery from the recent FCF step-down to $12.65B. Bear case is straightforward: you are underwriting a decade of aging-in-place demand plus buyback arbitrage while margins are quietly compressing. That is a lot of good news already in the tape. It is not a short - the cash generation and buyback are real - but there is no margin of safety at $332. I would want a mid-teens discount to the anchored-PE number before calling this interesting, which lines up around the high $250s.

Cheap signals 2
m30
Quality and cash return support a premium
High earnings quality, strong OCF/NI conversion, and consistent net buybacks justify trading above EPV and DCF - but not this far above the anchored-PE of $296.
m18
No accounting haircut needed
Clean M-score, Z-score, and accruals mean the deserved value is not artificially inflated by low-quality earnings - the $232 composite is credible, not conservative-to-a-fault.
Rich / priced-in 3
m62
Price above every fair-value method
$332 exceeds DCF $230.52, EPV $169.77, composite $231.81, signal-adj $202.63, and even anchored-PE $296.43. There is no lens on which HD screens cheap.
m55
Priced for margin recovery that isn't visible
FCF has stepped down to $12.65B and margins are drifting lower, yet the multiple embeds a return to prior profitability plus continued buyback arbitrage.
m45
Housing thesis already in the tape
The 'forever home / aging in place' story is consensus; at ~26x earnings you are paying full freight for a macro call on rates and consumer health.
I can't get to cheap on any method - the tightest, most generous read (anchored-PE) still says $296 and the price is $332. This is a great business at a full price, which is exactly the setup that scores low on my lens. I don't want to short it - the cash machine and buyback are real - but I need it in the high $250s before the risk/reward tilts my way. Today it's a hold-your-nose 'fine business, wrong price.'
Verify before trusting this (5)
  • Pro vs DIY comp trends and whether pro demand is offsetting DIY softness
  • Gross margin trajectory and whether the recent compression is cyclical or structural
  • FCF guidance and buyback pace vs the $12.65B run-rate
  • Any commentary on SRS Distribution contribution and integration margins
  • Impact of mortgage rates and existing-home turnover on ticket size
General Sentiment
+2
Balanced
tail √Σ 62 · head √Σ 60 · conf 6/10

The macro tape is quietly constructive (neutral-to-positive regime, VIX 16, S&P near highs), but HD's 0.95 beta means it neither gets amplified lift from risk-on nor punished by risk-off. The 10y at 4.68% is the one real overhang for a housing-adjacent name: rate-sensitive narratives (mortgage lock-in, home turnover) sit under a persistent low-grade cloud, and that lands specifically on HD as the largest home-improvement retailer. Offsetting this, HD's story is 'steady compounder' with moderate durability and low cult - it doesn't need a hot narrative to hold a bid, and it doesn't get sold in a de-rating of speculative cohorts. The active narrative is the 'forever home / aging in place / Pro consolidation' thesis, which the market has been willing to pay a premium for; intensity is only moderate, so there is no mania to unwind but also no fresh accelerant. Recent news flow is neutral-to-mildly positive: the organizational realignment around Pro and a $1.2T TAM gives analysts a clean bull talking point, and coverage tone ('fairly valued', 'still below fair value?') is measured rather than euphoric or bearish. Peer read-throughs (MAS margin lift on pricing/tariff refunds, FND flat EPS on soft demand) are mixed - pricing power is intact, end-demand is soft - which keeps sentiment range-bound rather than directional.

Tailwinds 4
m40
Reorg narrative gives analysts something to like
The Pro-focused realignment and the $1.2T TAM framing landed cleanly in coverage this week, refreshing the bull talking points without requiring new fundamentals.
m35
Calm tape suits a low-beta compounder
Neutral regime, VIX 16, index near highs - a 0.95-beta staple-like cyclical drifts higher by default in this environment; no forced selling, no risk-off discount.
m25
Peer pricing power read-through
Masco's margin lift on pricing and tariff refunds signals the home-improvement complex can still defend unit economics, a mild positive spillover to HD sentiment.
m20
Low cult, moderate durability = stable holder base
HD isn't a story stock; its shareholders don't chase narrative and don't panic-sell one either, muting sentiment volatility in both directions.
Headwinds 3
m45
Rates stuck high pressure housing-linked names
10y at 4.68% keeps the mortgage-lock-in / low-turnover overhang alive, and HD is the poster child for that macro linkage. It's a persistent low-grade press, not a shock.
m30
Analyst tone is 'fairly valued', not enthusiastic
Headlines explicitly frame HD as near intrinsic value rather than a bargain - that caps upgrade-driven upside and leaves the stock leaning on execution.
m25
Soft end-demand signal from peers
FND's flat EPS on weak demand and MAS's lower sales remind the tape that volume, not just pricing, is the swing factor - a low-grade drag on HD narrative momentum.
Net read: essentially balanced with a very slight positive tilt. HD is a low-beta, low-cult steady-compounder in a calm tape - there's no dominant force pressing on it. The rate overhang is real but priced-in and chronic; the reorg gives bulls a fresh line; analyst tone is measured, not euphoric. This is not a stock the sentiment lens moves the needle on - the trade will be decided by quality and valuation, not by the tape or the narrative. If forced to lean, I lean mildly tailwind because a calm regime plus a low-drama narrative plus a fresh strategic story beats a slow-burn rate headwind at these levels.
Verify before trusting this (5)
  • Any move in the 10y toward 5% - would sharpen the rate-sensitive headwind meaningfully
  • August housing turnover / existing home sales prints - the direct narrative test for the 'forever home' thesis
  • Q2 earnings tone and comp trajectory vs peers (MAS pricing, FND traffic) - determines whether the reorg narrative gets validated
  • Any sell-side downgrades citing 'priced-in' - would tip analyst tone from neutral to headwind
  • Sector rotation into/out of defensive-cyclicals if the regime shifts risk-on hard
The market-wide tape + this name's exposure to it (beta / sector / narrative durability). Context on the non-fundamental pressure — not a call on the business or the price. processId: detail-general-sentiment
Growth Outlook
not run

This lens hasn't been run for this ticker yet.

The forward growth verdict — is the business itself likely to grow (next 2 quarters / year 1 / years 2–3), judged against its category and against printed expectations. The full horizon ladder + creme renders on the Growth Outlook card above. Not a call on the price (Valuation owns that) or the tape (Sentiment owns that).
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Lenses kept deliberately separate — Company Quality (price-agnostic), Valuation (price-conditional), General Sentiment (non-fundamental macro/narrative pressure), and Growth Outlook (the forward growth verdict). The scores are not blended. Filing-level items (convertibles, lock-ups, customer concentration) are v2 — see each lens's "verify."
Price Prediction
Lower -5.1% v0.6.0 View full prediction →

When we made this prediction on Aug 1, 2026, HD was $332.02. We expect it to be $315.00 by Feb 2027, and we consider it great value under $260.00. This is an early model (v0.6.0) — the direction is more reliable than the exact price. Made Aug 1, 2026.

Price when predicted$332.02
Our estimate for Feb 2027$315.00-5.1%
Great value below$260.00
Price history shown (6 Months)

Blue is our prediction, starting the day we made it. Grey is a slower route to the same place — the same destination, taking longer. Black is the actual price, so you can see how we are doing.

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My Notes personal — only you see this
v1.1.562 · 9b2927c4 · 2026-08-22 16:52:06