Aviva PLC Sells 560 Shares of UFP Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPI)

Aviva PLC reduced its holdings in shares of UFP Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPI) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,708 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 560 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in UFP Industries were worth $530,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in UFP Industries by 1,683.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 535 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of UFP Industries by 357.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 531 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of UFP Industries by 39.8% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 615 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of UFP Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $106,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in UFP Industries by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,796 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $202,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. 81.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of UFP Industries in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of UFP Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $143.00.

UFP Industries Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UFPI opened at $106.42 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72 and a beta of 1.45. UFP Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $99.42 and a fifty-two week high of $141.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 4.88 and a quick ratio of 3.25. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $108.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.46.

UFP Industries (NASDAQ:UFPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. UFP Industries had a net margin of 6.23% and a return on equity of 13.24%. As a group, equities analysts predict that UFP Industries, Inc. will post 7.08 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a positive change from UFP Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. UFP Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.68%.

About UFP Industries

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.