Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Stock Position Reduced by Clarius Group LLC

Clarius Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 50.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,687 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,689 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC's holdings in Ferguson were worth $293,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the third quarter worth about $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America raised Ferguson from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Berenberg Bank raised their target price on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $219.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $220.10.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of FERG traded up $1.05 during trading on Monday, reaching $177.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,447,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,212,582. The company has a market cap of $35.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $191.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $198.23. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $167.27 and a twelve month high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

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

About Ferguson

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.