Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Raises Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,834 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $4,137,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in FERG. BOKF NA increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 236.7% during the second quarter. BOKF NA now owns 1,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 1,335 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in Ferguson by 46.2% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 9.2% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 38.1% in the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 22,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,393,000 after buying an additional 6,255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.9% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 967,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,424,000 after buying an additional 18,504 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $170.30 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.05 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $167.27 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $194.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $198.65.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be 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 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 39.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on FERG. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup dropped 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. Oppenheimer started coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price for the company. Finally, Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $222.40.

Ferguson 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.