Steph & Co. Purchases New Shares in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Steph & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $959,000 after purchasing an additional 804 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Ferguson by 7,632.6% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group raised its stake in Ferguson by 27.1% during the 4th quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,506,000 after purchasing an additional 5,534 shares during the period. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at $694,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.4 %

Ferguson stock opened at $175.40 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $167.27 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $193.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.52. The company has a market capitalization of $35.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.24.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 39.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price target (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $245.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $222.40.

About Ferguson

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.