Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Stock Holdings Lessened by Quilter Plc

Quilter Plc reduced its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 110,759 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,865 shares during the quarter. Quilter Plc’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $19,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of FERG. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 423.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,462,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,475,000 after buying an additional 1,183,143 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Ferguson by 7,632.6% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 677,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,626,000 after purchasing an additional 668,920 shares during the last quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP lifted its position in Ferguson by 133.3% in the 3rd quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,999,000 after purchasing an additional 400,000 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Ferguson by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,281,000 after purchasing an additional 377,283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted 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. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ FERG opened at $177.25 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.44 billion, a PE ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $183.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $196.06. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $167.27 and a 12-month high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 39.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $219.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America raised shares of Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup lowered 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. Zelman & Associates cut shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.