Versant Capital Management Inc Has $69,000 Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 167.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 399 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 250 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $69,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Ferguson by 32.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,359,000 after purchasing an additional 7,862 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 518,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,031,000 after buying an additional 46,947 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 133,769 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at $112,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Ferguson from $245.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of FERG opened at $174.26 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $197.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $199.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.21. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $171.68 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.86%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,271.36. This represents a 70.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $378,696.04. This trade represents a 37.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.