We recently compiled a list of 10 Safe Stocks To Invest In For The Long Term in 2024. In this article, we will look at where The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) ranks among 10 Safe Stocks To Invest In For The Long Term in 2024.

The Sectors with Promising Growth

The recent market action can be attributed to the Fed’s decision. To discuss the future of the equity market, Drew Pettit, Citi US equity strategist, appeared in an interview on Yahoo Finance on September 26, 2024.

According to Pettit, the market is yet to hit an all-time high if you look beneath the surface. He suggests that the Fed’s decision and if the potential softness in the labor data comes through, investors may regain confidence positioning the market for recovery. He adds that in the past quarter, cyclical and secular stocks have been performing well, but are yet to hit the market peak.

Speaking of growth sectors, some sectors have outperformed others, growing exponentially. Pettit adds that stocks with mature business models have yielded greater returns from minuscule upsides in sales. As for the tech sector, he believes that stocks will remain resilient and will be able to handle some deceleration. He advises investors to remain cautious of tech stocks moving forward and focus on overlooked areas of the market such as consumer goods, financials, and cyclicals.

Investors Must Focus More on Fundamentals

The market saw a great run-up after the easing cycle. However, the question of a soft landing still stands. On September 30, Liz Young Thomas, SoFi head of investment strategy, appeared in an interview on CNBC to discuss the latest market trends and opportunities for investors.

Thomas believes that the maximum gains have already been achieved up until the easing cycle, however, growth may continue till the end of 2024. She stresses that the next 30 to 60 days are extremely crucial for the market and will help investors understand the motive behind the rate cuts, and whether the cuts were needed in the first place.

While growth in the tech sector has been slowing down, other sectors have reportedly grown and more than 80% of the S&P 500 has been trading above the 200-day moving average. She adds that the tech sector has started to strengthen and the optimism surrounding the Chinese economy may combine to yield positive results for the market.

Thomas reiterates that while multiples are rich, to ensure a soft landing, the market must move to trade based on fundamentals rather than on multiples. She explains that this simply means that multiples are unlikely to expand from here, but earnings may get more steady. Sectors such as industrials have been growing and expanding while financials have been slower. Thomas advises investors to focus on stocks that have strong fundamentals and steady earnings growth.

Our Methodology

To come up with the safest stocks to invest in for the long term in 2024 we consulted multiple reports and also screened for reliable growers using the Finviz stock screener. We compiled an initial list of 30 stocks. We then referred to the 10% year revenue growth rate for each of the stocks along with their history of dividend payouts. Companies with the highest growth rates and a history of dividend growth were included in the list. The 10 safe stocks to invest in for the long term in 2024 are in ascending order of their 10-year revenue growth rate.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

10 Year Revenue Growth: 6.55%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 86

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) is a home improvement retailer based in the United States. The company sells tools, construction products, and appliances. The company was founded in 1979 and now owns over 2,300 stores across North America.

The company vowed to expand the day it was brought to life. Its initial stores were sized at an average of 60,000 square feet and today, its stores are 105,000 square feet on average. Additionally, customers can choose from over 35,000 products in stores and 1 million products online at Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD). To strengthen its position in the industry, the company locked in several product launches and acquisitions throughout the year, In June Home Depot completed the acquisition of SRS Distribution, a residential specialty trade distribution company. Last week, Home Depot’s retail media division, Orange Apron Media, launched a new self-service ad platform allowing advertisers to plan, activate, optimize, and report their media campaigns.

The company has over 475,000 associates who enable the smooth running of the company. To keep up with the industry requirements, Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) improved the tools its associates use for selling. The advancements allow associates to view customers’ activity and experience at Home Depot. Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) also launched another platform allowing associates and store leaders to have a quick digital view of a customer’s journey. As a result, associates can understand customer behavior and their likes, dislikes, and buying patterns.

In the second quarter of 2024, Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) logged $43.2 billion in sales, up by 0.6% year-over-year. 86 hedge funds held the stock at the end of Q2 2024, of which, Fisher Asset Management was the largest shareholder, as of June 30. Analysts are bullish on the stock, and that may be because of the stock’s consistent financial performance and strategic expansion outlook.

Overall HD ranks 6th on our list of safe stocks to invest in for the long term in 2024. While we acknowledge the potential of  HD, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than HD but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published on Insider Monkey.