First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Stock Position in UFP Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPI)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in UFP Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPI - Free Report) by 39.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 791,886 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 223,522 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 1.30% of UFP Industries worth $89,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of UFP Industries during the 3rd quarter worth $248,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in UFP Industries by 109.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 135,996 shares of the construction company's stock worth $17,844,000 after buying an additional 70,927 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in UFP Industries by 18.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,225,972 shares of the construction company's stock worth $169,675,000 after buying an additional 188,969 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in UFP Industries by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 631,404 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $82,847,000 after buying an additional 60,859 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of UFP Industries by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 109,476 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $12,331,000 after acquiring an additional 3,973 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.81% of the company's stock.

UFP Industries Trading Down 1.1 %

UFPI stock traded down $1.23 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $106.74. 195,257 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 322,420. UFP Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $99.42 and a fifty-two week high of $141.33. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $106.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $117.80. The company has a market capitalization of $6.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.77 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 4.88 and a quick ratio of 3.25.

UFP Industries (NASDAQ:UFPI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.24 by ($0.04). UFP Industries had a net margin of 6.23% and a return on equity of 13.24%. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that UFP Industries, Inc. will post 7.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UFP Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. This is a positive change from UFP Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. UFP Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UFPI. StockNews.com downgraded shares of UFP Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of UFP Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $143.00.

UFP Industries Profile

UFP Industries, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets wood and non-wood composites, and other materials in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It operates through Retail, Packaging, and Construction segments. The Retail segment offers treated lumber products, including decking, fencing, lattice, and other products; pressure-treated and fire-retardant products used primarily for outdoor decking environments; and lawn and garden products, consisting of wood and vinyl fencing options, garden beds and planters, pergolas, picnic tables, and other landscaping products.