Regency Capital Management Inc. DE Sells 4,975 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Regency Capital Management Inc. DE lessened its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 34.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,529 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,975 shares during the period. Ferguson makes up approximately 0.9% of Regency Capital Management Inc. DE’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in Ferguson by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 19,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,777,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 29.1% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 33,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,465,000 after acquiring an additional 7,534 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 10.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 278,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,958,000 after acquiring an additional 26,671 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Ferguson by 194.4% in the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 193,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,416,000 after purchasing an additional 127,589 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,843,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays cut their target price on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.10.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $180.68 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $36.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $189.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $197.89. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $167.27 and a 1 year high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. 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.