Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Atria Investments Inc

Atria Investments Inc lessened its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,972 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,977 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $2,599,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in FERG. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 423.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,462,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,475,000 after buying an additional 1,183,143 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in Ferguson by 339.9% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,234,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,320,000 after purchasing an additional 954,092 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Ferguson by 7,632.6% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 677,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,626,000 after purchasing an additional 668,920 shares during the last quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,111,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,523,000 after purchasing an additional 415,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP raised its stake in Ferguson by 133.3% in the 3rd quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,999,000 after purchasing an additional 400,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $168.15 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $163.01 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $177.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $191.81.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 39.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price for the company. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Profile

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.