Clarius Group LLC Sells 1,689 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Clarius Group LLC lowered its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 50.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,687 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,689 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 423.0% in the third 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 purchasing an additional 1,183,143 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 7,632.6% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 677,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,626,000 after acquiring an additional 668,920 shares during the last quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 133.3% during the 3rd quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,999,000 after acquiring an additional 400,000 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in Ferguson by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,281,000 after acquiring an additional 377,283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter worth $63,420,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.10.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $177.50 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50-day moving average is $191.58 and its 200 day moving average is $198.23. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $167.27 and a 1 year high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.83 dividend. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.86%.

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.