Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Sells 55,876 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt decreased its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 97.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 55,876 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 1,350.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America raised Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $217.73.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $177.25 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $167.27 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $35.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $196.26.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 39.86%.

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.