Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Invests $6.87 Million in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund purchased a new position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 39,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,873,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1,350.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth $39,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on FERG shares. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America raised shares of Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $217.73.

Ferguson Stock Down 2.4 %

FERG stock opened at $171.84 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $167.27 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The company has a 50-day moving average of $178.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $193.87.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.86%.

Ferguson 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.