Foundations Investment Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $385,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.8% in the third quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $657,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 3.2% during the third quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,952 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position 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 during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerce Bank increased its position in Ferguson by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America raised shares of Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Zelman & Associates cut shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Three research 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.10.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $181.77 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $36.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $187.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $197.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $167.27 and a 1-year high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.