E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB Purchases 900 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB boosted its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 11.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,800 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 900 shares during the quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,527,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,468,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,668,462,000 after purchasing an additional 288,935 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,541,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $905,230,000 after acquiring an additional 161,662 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,197,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $633,409,000 after acquiring an additional 25,677 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Ferguson by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,371,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,858,000 after purchasing an additional 133,769 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $290,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183,143 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer began coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $179.51 on Wednesday. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $167.27 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $185.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $196.68. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $35.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 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 paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 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.