Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC Sells 37,472 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC reduced its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 60.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 24,448 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,472 shares during the quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $4,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 423.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,183,143 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 buying an additional 668,920 shares in the last quarter. 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 buying an additional 400,000 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake 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. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Ferguson by 910.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 366,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,529,000 after acquiring an additional 329,786 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $180.68 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $36.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.24. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $167.27 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $189.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $197.89. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 39.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on FERG shares. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price target for the company. Barclays cut their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Zelman & Associates cut Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $219.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.10.

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.