Freestone Capital Holdings LLC Has $265,000 Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Freestone Capital Holdings LLC lessened its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 16.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,527 shares of the company’s stock after selling 293 shares during the quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 3.2% in the third quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,952 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,137,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerce Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $529,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $168.15 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $177.52 and its 200-day moving average is $192.32. The company has a market cap of $33.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $163.01 and a 52-week high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.83 dividend. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 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.