Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Bought by AMF Tjanstepension AB

AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 420.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 66,125 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 53,419 shares during the quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $11,477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,468,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,668,462,000 after buying an additional 288,935 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,197,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $633,409,000 after buying an additional 25,677 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 6.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,371,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,858,000 after buying an additional 133,769 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cantillon Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 24.5% during the fourth quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,111,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $366,523,000 after buying an additional 415,002 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $168.15 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $163.01 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $177.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $191.95. The stock has a market cap of $33.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 39.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on FERG shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $217.73.

About Ferguson

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.