Yousif Capital Management LLC Decreases Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Yousif Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 38.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,355 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,777 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC's holdings in Ferguson were worth $756,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB bought a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,523,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 303.7% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,550 shares of the company's stock valued at $904,000 after acquiring an additional 3,423 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its stake in Ferguson by 55.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,404 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 2,628 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.9% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,357 shares of the company's stock valued at $667,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 18,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,719,000 after purchasing an additional 1,832 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $234.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $193.00 target price (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays decreased their target price on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $217.73.

Ferguson Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG traded down $3.65 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $181.85. 818,185 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,393,392. 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's 50-day simple moving average is $179.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $194.44. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $167.27 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The firm has a market cap of $36.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.24.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. This is a boost from Ferguson's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.86%.

Ferguson Company 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.