Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Has $19.94 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 114,880 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,617 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $19,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 1,350.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $180.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $36.13 billion, a PE ratio of 21.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.24. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $167.27 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $189.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $197.89.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price target (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.10.

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.