Home Depot Investors Collected $517 in Dividends on a $1,000 Stake Over 10 Years, and the Share Price Did the Rest

Home Depot built a fortune for patient shareholders, yet the S&P 500 still won the decade. Then the stock went nowhere for five years, and a housing freeze, costly debt, and a pricey valuation now test whether contractors can restart…

Published November 8, 2026, 1:22pm ET · 2 min read

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

Home Depot logo sign mounted on the orange gabled facade of a store
© Romanista / iStock

What would a $1,000 investment in Home Depot (NYSE:HD | HD Price Prediction) be worth today if made at the November 2016 month-end close, with dividends taken as cash? At the time, the purchase price was $129.40 a share, while the stock closed at $343.47 on Nov. 6, 2026.

Dividend Checks Totaled $517, and Share Price Gains Made Up Most of the Return

Over that period, the stake paid out $517 in cash dividends. The shares are now worth $2,654, so the combined total comes to $3,171. The quarterly dividend went from $0.69 in 2016 to $2.33 in 2026, and the yield is now 2.71%.

HD earnings explorer

A strong housing and remodeling market supported the early years. The pandemic added to that as homeowners spent more on their homes during lockdowns. Starting in 2022, higher mortgage rates slowed home sales, and Home Depot leaned harder into professional contractors. It bought SRS Distribution in 2024 and GMS in 2025, and SRS now runs over 1,340 locations.

A Decade That Trailed the Market, With Flat Shares for Five of Those Years

1-Year Return

  • Initial Investment: $1,000
  • Current Value: $957
  • Total Return: -4.28%
  • S&P 500 (same period): $1,097 (9.69%)

5-Year Return

  • Initial Investment: $1,000
  • Current Value: $1,059
  • Total Return: 5.86%
  • Annualized Return: 1.1%
  • S&P 500 (same period): $1,569 (56.94%)

10-Year Return

  • Initial Investment: $1,000
  • Current Value: $3,171 (shares plus cash dividends)
  • Total Return: 217.1%
  • Annualized Return: 12.2%
  • S&P 500 (from Nov. 8, 2016): $3,434 (243.42%)

The S&P 500 figures track the price change of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY). Nearly all of Home Depot’s gains came before late 2021. From Nov. 5, 2021, the shares went from $324.45 to $343.47.

Existing home sales ran at an annualized rate of 3.99 million in September 2026. On the August earnings call, Richard McPhail said housing turnover “has never been lower as a percentage of the housing stock.”

Reinvested Dividends Would Have Grown the Stake to $3,371

If those dividends had gone back into more shares, the stake would be worth $3,371, compared with $3,171 when they were taken as cash. The total return comes to 237.1% versus 217.1%.

Housing Turnover and Rates Shape the Outlook at 24x Earnings

Home Depot trades at about 24 times earnings, which is the share price divided by a year of profit. For fiscal 2026, the company expects adjusted EPS growth of flat to 4.0%. The 10-year Treasury yield was 4.84% on Nov. 5, 2026, and that yield helps set mortgage rates.

HD price target

A $1,000 position today lines up with the view that contractor sales and an eventual housing recovery will drive growth past that guidance. Pro comps were positive last quarter, and SRS beat the company average.

It lines up less well with the view that turnover stays near today’s lows. In Q2, SG&A grew 8.5% while revenue grew 5.7%, and debt-to-equity is at 5.10. The last decade included five years of nearly flat shares, and past returns don’t guarantee the next ten years.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

David Beren

David Beren has been a Flywheel Publishing contributor since 2022. Writing for 24/7 Wall St. since 2023, David loves to write about topics of all shapes and sizes. As a technology expert, David focuses heavily on consumer electronics brands, automobiles, and general technology. He has previously written for LifeWire, formerly About.com. As a part-time freelance writer, David’s “day job” has been working on and leading social media for multiple Fortune 100 brands. David loves the flexibility of this field and its ability to reach customers exactly where they like to spend their time. Additionally, David previously published his own blog, TmoNews.com, which reached 3 million readers in its first year. In addition to freelance and social media work, David loves to spend time with his family and children and relive the glory days of video game consoles by playing any retro game console he can get his hands on.

All articles →