E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB Acquires 900 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB lifted its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 8,800 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,527,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $4,255,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $339,000. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 614.7% in the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 41,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,129,000 after purchasing an additional 35,327 shares during the period. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,892,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $610,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on FERG shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price objective (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $217.73.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $179.51 on Wednesday. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $167.27 and a 12 month high of $225.63. The company has a market cap of $35.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $185.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $196.68.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company 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 represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 39.86%.

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.