Boston Financial Mangement LLC Has $39.13 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Boston Financial Mangement LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 225,420 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,718 shares during the quarter. Ferguson makes up 1.2% of Boston Financial Mangement LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Boston Financial Mangement LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $39,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth approximately $2,523,000. Creative Planning lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 55.0% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,470,000 after acquiring an additional 2,628 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 21.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth approximately $253,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 4.5% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $742,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on FERG shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price objective (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Zelman & Associates lowered Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Trading Down 2.0 %

NASDAQ FERG opened at $181.85 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $36.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.24. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $167.27 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $179.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $194.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 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.