Blue Trust Inc. Raises Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 28.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,960 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 662 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. PFG Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $467,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 114,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,940,000 after acquiring an additional 4,617 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 910.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 366,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,529,000 after purchasing an additional 329,786 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note 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 reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 target price (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America raised Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.10.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $181.21 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $167.27 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $187.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $197.29. The company has a market capitalization of $36.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.24.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.86%.

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.