B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Sells 98 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 6.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,368 shares of the company’s stock after selling 98 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 3.5% in 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Ferguson by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,541,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $905,230,000 after purchasing an additional 161,662 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 25,677 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 153,757 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total transaction of $295,361.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,205 shares in the company, valued at $1,047,246. The trade was a 22.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total value of $267,318.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,750. This represents a 56.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on Ferguson from $245.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $178.17 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $35.62 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.21. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $172.00 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $202.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $201.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.