Berbice Capital Management LLC Invests $35,000 in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 114,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,940,000 after buying an additional 4,617 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 910.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 366,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,529,000 after buying an additional 329,786 shares during the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $226,000. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 29.3% in the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $182.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $189.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $197.89. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $167.27 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The company has a market cap of $36.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.24.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price target for the company. Bank of America raised Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $219.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 target price (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.10.

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.