Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $18.81 Million Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 108,384 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,436 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.05% of Ferguson worth $18,812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 423.0% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,462,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $290,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,183,143 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 339.9% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,234,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,320,000 after purchasing an additional 954,092 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Ferguson by 7,632.6% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 677,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,626,000 after purchasing an additional 668,920 shares during the period. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP increased its stake in Ferguson by 133.3% during the 3rd quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,999,000 after purchasing an additional 400,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 76.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,281,000 after purchasing an additional 377,283 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price objective (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup cut their price target on Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $217.73.

Ferguson Stock Down 2.0 %

FERG stock opened at $175.90 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $167.27 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The stock has a market cap of $35.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $178.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $194.10. 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.86%.

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.