Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC reduced its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 41.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,524 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,043 shares during the quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dudley & Shanley Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth about $18,984,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,028,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 167.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 32.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,359,000 after buying an additional 7,862 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total transaction of $527,319.04. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,271.36. This trade represents a 70.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $378,696.04. This represents a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 in the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Berenberg Bank lifted their target price 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. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Ferguson from $245.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.89.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of Ferguson stock traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $173.92. The company had a trading volume of 881,894 shares, compared to its average volume of 836,834. The company has a 50 day moving average of $197.14 and a 200 day moving average of $199.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $171.68 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80.

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 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 1.91%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.