Carl P. Sherr & Co. LLC Has $733,000 Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Carl P. Sherr & Co. LLC cut its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 40.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,210 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,844 shares during the quarter. Carl P. Sherr & Co. LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $733,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew 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 valued at $290,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,183,143 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 339.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of 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 period. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP grew its position in shares of 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 period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 76.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,281,000 after purchasing an additional 377,283 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley started 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. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Zelman & Associates downgraded Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $175.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $178.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $194.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.17 billion, a PE ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.24. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $167.27 and a 52 week high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio 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.