Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Stake Lowered by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV trimmed its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 119,629 shares of the company’s stock after selling 494 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.06% of Ferguson worth $20,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $514,000 after buying an additional 662 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $467,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 114,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,940,000 after acquiring an additional 4,617 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 910.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 366,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,529,000 after purchasing an additional 329,786 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on FERG. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price objective (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays reduced their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Zelman & Associates downgraded Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.10.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of FERG opened at $182.40 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $197.70. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $167.27 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.24.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.