Principal Securities Inc. Purchases 175 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,086 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $536,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,307 shares of the company’s stock worth $657,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,952 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,137,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of FERG stock opened at $175.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $178.64 and its 200-day moving average is $194.10. The stock has a market cap of $35.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.24. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $167.27 and a 52-week high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on FERG shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price for the company. Berenberg Bank upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $217.73.

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.