Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 111.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,568 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,669 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $5,827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 32.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,359,000 after purchasing an additional 7,862 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth about $970,000. Clean Yield Group lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 27.1% in the 4th quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,506,000 after buying an additional 5,534 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 79.6% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 646,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,217,000 after buying an additional 286,691 shares during the period. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 66.2% during the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 51,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,256,000 after buying an additional 20,580 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FERG. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays dropped their target price on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $217.73.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $177.48 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $35.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.31, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $167.27 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The business has a fifty day moving average of $178.12 and a 200-day moving average of $193.26.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. 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.