US Bancorp DE Purchases 145 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,335 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of FERG. Stephens Inc. AR bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank raised its holdings in Ferguson by 72.2% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 19,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,849,000 after buying an additional 8,124 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,359,000 after buying an additional 7,862 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Global Investments raised its holdings in Ferguson by 57.9% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 11,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,217,000 after buying an additional 4,094 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Zelman & Associates lowered Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Berenberg Bank increased their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $168.15 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $33.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. 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 12 month low of $163.01 and a 12 month high of $225.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $177.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.95.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.