C WorldWide Group Holding A S Has $44.26 Million Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

C WorldWide Group Holding A S lowered its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 43.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 254,988 shares of the company’s stock after selling 198,001 shares during the period. Ferguson accounts for approximately 0.5% of C WorldWide Group Holding A S’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. C WorldWide Group Holding A S’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $44,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 423.0% during the 3rd 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 position 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 acquiring an additional 954,092 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position 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 valued at $117,626,000 after acquiring an additional 668,920 shares during the period. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of 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. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 76.9% during 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on FERG. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $175.90 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $178.64 and a 200-day moving average of $194.05. The company has a market cap of $35.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $167.27 and a one year high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

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