Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Grows Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 79,400 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $13,781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 423.0% during 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 worth $290,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,183,143 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 339.9% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,234,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,320,000 after purchasing an additional 954,092 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7,632.6% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 677,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,626,000 after purchasing an additional 668,920 shares during the last quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 377,283 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price on the stock. Zelman & Associates lowered shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $175.21 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $193.45. The company has a market cap of $35.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.03, 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 one year low of $167.27 and a one year 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 dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.