GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases 133 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,907 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 133 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $505,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,468,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,668,462,000 after purchasing an additional 288,935 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,541,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $905,230,000 after buying an additional 161,662 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,197,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $633,409,000 after acquiring an additional 25,677 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 6.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,371,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,858,000 after acquiring an additional 133,769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Ferguson by 10.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,563,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,781,000 after acquiring an additional 153,757 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Ferguson stock opened at $174.26 on Monday. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $171.68 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $197.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $199.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.21.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.91%. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In related news, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total transaction of $267,318.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $201,750. This trade represents a 56.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,271.36. This represents a 70.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Berenberg Bank increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Ferguson Company 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.