Who Owns The Home Depot Company?

The Home Depot Bundle

Get Full Bundle:

	5 FORCES	$15	$10
	BCG	$15	$10
	CANVAS	$15	$10
	4P's MIX	$15	$10
	PESTLE	$15	$10
	SWOT	$15	$10

TOTAL:

ADD TO CART

Who owns The Home Depot now?

Founded in 1978 by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, The Home Depot went public in 1981 and grew into the world’s largest home improvement retailer. By FY2023 it reported about $152 billion in net sales and a market cap often above $300 billion in 2024–2025.

Public investors now dominate ownership: index funds and large asset managers hold the largest stakes while founder insider ownership is minimal, creating a widely dispersed shareholder base focused on governance and institutional influence.

Explore ownership dynamics and competitive context in The Home Depot Porter's Five Forces Analysis.

Founders and early ownership of The Home Depot trace to 1978 when Bernard Marcus, Arthur M. Blank and merchandising lead Pat Farrah launched the company with financier Kenneth G. Langone arranging early capital; initial equity was concentrated among the three operators with Langone and a small circle of backers providing seed financing and Wall Street introductions.

Founding team roles

Bernard Marcus served as CEO, Arthur M. Blank as president and Pat Farrah led merchandising; Langone acted as the capital raiser and promoter.

Early equity structure

Equity was concentrated with Marcus, Blank and Farrah; Langone and friends-and-family investors held smaller, promoter-style stakes.

Governance design

Founders agreed board oversight with investor representation, buy-sell provisions and vesting tied to operational milestones to support rapid expansion.

Capital strategy

Langone’s Wall Street network sourced commitments that funded early store rollouts and inventory build, supplemented by friends-and-family capital.

Founders’ influence pre-IPO

Contemporary accounts show Marcus and Blank as primary control holders, Farrah with a meaningful operating stake, and Langone as an investor/promoter.

IPO dilution and legacy

By the 1981 IPO founder stakes were diluted to raise capital for national growth but founders retained influential positions guiding expansion and strategy.

Ownership history and founder roles are documented in company histories and filings; see a concise timeline in this Brief History of The Home Depot.

Key facts and takeaways

Founders and early ownership shaped The Home Depot’s strategic trajectory and governance framework.

• Founders: Bernard Marcus, Arthur M. Blank, Pat Farrah.
• Early financier/promoter: Kenneth G. Langone.
• Initial equity concentrated among operators with small backers; no public exact percentage splits from private documents.
• By 1981 IPO founders were diluted but remained influential, enabling rapid national expansion.

The Home Depot SWOT Analysis

• Complete SWOT Breakdown
• Fully Customizable
• Editable in Excel & Word
• Professional Formatting
• Investor-Ready Format

GET TEMPLATE ➔

Key events shaping The Home Depot ownership include the 1981 IPO, large 1980s–1990s secondary offerings funding national expansion, rising indexation and mutual fund holdings in the 1990s–2000s, heavy share buybacks exceeding $100 billion over the past decade, and major M&A and capital investments such as the 2024–2025 SRS Distribution acquisition and multi-year One Home Depot supply-chain program.

By 2024–2025, founders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank retained only small residual personal or philanthropic stakes with no controlling influence; free float is effectively near 100% due to broad institutional and retail dispersion and a one-share–one-vote governance norm.

Major shareholders and ownership dynamics (2024–2025)

Institutional index and active managers dominate Home Depot shareholders; top managers typically hold single-digit percentages, while insiders own under 1% collectively.

• The Vanguard Group: commonly ~7–9% of shares outstanding (via active and index funds such as Vanguard 500 Index)
• BlackRock (including iShares Core S&P 500): commonly ~7–9%
• State Street: commonly ~4–5%
• Other top holders: Fidelity (FMR), T. Rowe Price, and major passive ETFs; insiders <1%

Ownership concentration among large index and active managers influences stewardship and proxy voting despite broad free float; recent 13F and proxy trends show rising ETF and mutual fund ownership, so for details on strategic rationale and capital deployment see Growth Strategy of The Home Depot.

The Home Depot PESTLE Analysis

• Covers All 6 PESTLE Categories
• No Research Needed – Save Hours of Work
• Built by Experts, Trusted by Consultants
• Instant Download, Ready to Use
• 100% Editable, Fully Customizable

GET TEMPLATE ➔

The Home Depot's board in 2024–2025 is majority independent and led by Ted Decker as Chair and CEO, combining retail, technology, logistics, and finance expertise across independent directors who oversee audit, compensation, nominating/governance, and finance committees.

Home Depot follows a one-share-one-vote structure with no dual-class or super-voting shares, so voting power aligns with economic ownership; no director or founder holds special voting rights, and large institutional shareholders drive outcomes via proxy voting and engagement.

Board voting dynamics and institutional influence

Concentrated passive ownership by top index managers gives them practical voting power on close proposals.

• Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street collectively hold a substantial portion of float; Vanguard and BlackRock each commonly own around 5–8% of outstanding common stock in 2024–2025 across filings.
• Proxy advisers (ISS, Glass Lewis) materially shape say-on-pay and director elections.
• No recent successful proxy contest; shareholder proposals — especially ESG topics — are regularly submitted and debated.
• Institutional investors influence via proxy votes and engagement rather than board seats, consistent with the one-share-one-vote structure.

For more on corporate strategy and shareholder-facing revenue sources, see Revenue Streams & Business Model of The Home Depot.

The Home Depot Business Model Canvas

• Complete 9-Block Business Model Canvas
• Effortlessly Communicate Your Business Strategy
• Investor-Ready BMC Format
• 100% Editable and Customizable
• Clear and Structured Layout

GET TEMPLATE ➔

From 2019 through 2025 The Home Depot ownership profile shifted toward larger institutional concentration, continued shareholder returns, and strategic M&A that temporarily altered buyback cadence and leverage; passive index flows and mega-manager holdings now largely define who owns The Home Depot company in 2025.

Post‑SRS, credit metrics tightened temporarily and share count trajectory paused; analysts project dividends remain priority with repurchases resuming opportunistically as leverage targets are met and bolt‑on Pro acquisitions pursued rather than any shift toward privatization or dual‑class shares.

Institutional Concentration

Vanguard and BlackRock top the Home Depot major shareholders list, reflecting the broader trend where percentage ownership of Home Depot by institutional investors remains elevated.

Capital Allocation

Management emphasizes dividends and selective buybacks; buyback pacing varied around the SRS deal to manage leverage and ratings.

Governance and Succession

CEO succession (Craig Menear to Ted Decker in 2022) and Decker’s role as Chair preserved board-driven governance favored by Home Depot institutional investors.

Midsize M&A Outlook

Future ownership shifts likely tied to index fund flows, buyback cadence, and bolt-on Pro/installation services deals rather than insider re-concentration.

For context on strategy and market positioning see Marketing Strategy of The Home Depot.

The Home Depot Porter's Five Forces Analysis

• Covers All 5 Competitive Forces in Detail
• Structured for Consultants, Students, and Founders
• 100% Editable in Microsoft Word & Excel
• Instant Digital Download – Use Immediately
• Compatible with Mac & PC – Fully Unlocked

GET TEMPLATE ➔