Mcdonald Partners LLC Takes Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Mcdonald Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 1,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $309,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FERG. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 423.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,183,143 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 339.9% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,234,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,320,000 after purchasing an additional 954,092 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 7,632.6% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 677,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,626,000 after purchasing an additional 668,920 shares during the period. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP grew its holdings in Ferguson by 133.3% during 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 holdings in Ferguson by 76.9% during 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. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of FERG stock opened at $185.79 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. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $167.27 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The company has a market capitalization of $37.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s fifty day moving average is $179.33 and its 200 day moving average is $194.44.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on FERG shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price objective (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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. Zelman & Associates downgraded Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their target price on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $217.73.

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.