Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by AMF Tjanstepension AB

AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 420.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,125 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 53,419 shares during the quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $11,477,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,468,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,668,462,000 after purchasing an additional 288,935 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,541,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $905,230,000 after buying an additional 161,662 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,197,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $633,409,000 after buying an additional 25,677 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Ferguson by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,371,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,858,000 after purchasing an additional 133,769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cantillon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,111,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,523,000 after purchasing an additional 415,002 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Zelman & Associates lowered Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. 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.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of FERG opened at $168.15 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $33.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $163.01 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $177.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

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