Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Acquired by Equitable Trust Co.

Equitable Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,250 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 471 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $2,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 423.0% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 7,632.6% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 677,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,626,000 after acquiring an additional 668,920 shares during the last quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 400,000 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 76.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,281,000 after acquiring an additional 377,283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 910.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 366,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,529,000 after acquiring an additional 329,786 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on FERG. Zelman & Associates cut Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. 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 research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 target price (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Stock Up 2.1 %

Ferguson stock opened at $180.91 on Tuesday. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $167.27 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $183.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.24.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 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.