UBS Group Reaffirms Neutral Rating for Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG)

UBS Group restated their neutral rating on shares of Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) in a report issued on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $193.00 price objective on the stock, down from their prior price objective of $230.00.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup lowered 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. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $222.40.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of FERG stock opened at $172.14 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $195.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $199.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Ferguson has a 1-year low of $170.93 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The company has a market cap of $34.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24.

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 paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.86%.

Insider Activity at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at $378,696.04. The trade was a 37.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,271.36. The trade was a 70.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,468,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,668,462,000 after buying an additional 288,935 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,541,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $905,230,000 after purchasing an additional 161,662 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,197,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $633,409,000 after purchasing an additional 25,677 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 6.0% during the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 10.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,563,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,781,000 after purchasing an additional 153,757 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.