Home Depot stock maintains Outperform rating at Mizuho following GMS acquisition

Published 01/07/2025, 12:26
Home Depot stock maintains Outperform rating at Mizuho following GMS acquisition

Investing.com - Mizuho (NYSE:MFG) has reiterated an Outperform rating and $435.00 price target on Home Depot (NYSE:HD), a prominent player in the specialty retail industry with a market cap of $365 billion, following the company’s acquisition of GMS for $110 per share. According to InvestingPro data, the company maintains strong financial health with an overall score of "GOOD."

The acquisition comes approximately 15 months after Home Depot announced its deal for SRS, valued at over $18 billion. Mizuho views this latest development favorably, noting the timing appears closer to the bottom of the cycle at approximately 10 times EBITDA. With current EBITDA of $25.5 billion and operating with a moderate level of debt, Home Depot appears well-positioned for these strategic moves.

According to Mizuho’s research, SRS is currently leading the integration process, leveraging experience gained through more than 100 smaller acquisitions, though quantifying potential synergies remains in early stages.

Home Depot has indicated its timeline for reaching a leverage ratio of approximately 2x has been slightly extended, with plans to restart share buybacks once that target is achieved and assuming excess cash availability.

GMS operates a trade credit program designed for customers working on staged projects completed over longer timeframes, with Mizuho describing the transaction as "more defensive" following QXO’s initial bid and suggesting it will ultimately benefit Home Depot by unlocking more complex project work.

In other recent news, Home Depot’s subsidiary, SRS Distribution, has announced plans to acquire GMS Inc (NYSE:GMS). for $110 per share in a transaction valued at approximately $4.3 billion, with an enterprise value of about $5.5 billion including net debt. This acquisition will expand SRS’s distribution network significantly, adding more than 1,200 locations and a fleet of over 8,000 trucks. Barclays (LON:BARC) maintained an Equalweight rating on Home Depot stock, raising its price target to $110 following the acquisition announcement. Meanwhile, TD Cowen reiterated its Buy rating and $470 price target on Home Depot, expressing a neutral stance on the potential acquisition due to concerns about margin dilution. Truist Securities also maintained its Buy rating with a $417 price target, highlighting Home Depot’s strategic move to expand its presence in the professional contractor market. This acquisition follows Home Depot’s recent $18 billion purchase of SRS Distribution, furthering its strategy to grow its professional contractor ecosystem. The transaction is expected to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share in the first year after closing. Home Depot plans to fund the acquisition through cash on hand and debt, without altering its leverage ratio plan.

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