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

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. cut its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 6.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,368 shares of the company’s stock after selling 98 shares during the quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $290,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,183,143 shares in the last quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP grew its stake in Ferguson by 133.3% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 76.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,281,000 after purchasing an additional 377,283 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $63,420,000. Finally, Waverton Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 61.0% in the 2nd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 812,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,293,000 after buying an additional 308,138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $230.44.

Ferguson Trading Up 2.0 %

FERG stock opened at $178.17 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $172.00 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The company has a market capitalization 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. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $202.08 and its 200 day simple moving average 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 1.86%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.86%.

Insider Activity

In other Ferguson news, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total transaction of $1,162,938.06. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,938 shares in the company, valued at $1,195,141.26. This represents a 49.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total transaction of $295,361.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,047,246. The trade was a 22.00 % 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. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.