Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) Given Neutral Rating at UBS Group

UBS Group restated their neutral rating on shares of Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) in a research report report published on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $193.00 target price on the stock, down from their previous target price of $230.00.

FERG has been the topic of several other reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Oppenheimer began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $222.40.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $172.14 on Wednesday. Ferguson has a twelve month low of $170.93 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The company has a market capitalization of $34.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $195.71 and a 200 day moving average of $199.07. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 39.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ferguson news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total transaction of $527,319.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at $224,271.36. The trade was a 70.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total value of $295,361.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,047,246. The trade was a 22.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 over the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FERG. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 303.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $904,000 after acquiring an additional 3,423 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Ferguson by 32.5% during the third 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. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $970,000. Entropy Technologies LP raised its stake in Ferguson by 66.2% in the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 51,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,256,000 after buying an additional 20,580 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 380.6% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 159,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,309,000 after buying an additional 126,242 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.