Versant Capital Management Inc Purchases 250 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 167.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 399 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $69,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,359,000 after purchasing an additional 7,862 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 518,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,031,000 after purchasing an additional 46,947 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,371,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,858,000 after buying an additional 133,769 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $112,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ FERG opened at $174.26 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.21. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $197.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $199.59. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $171.68 and a 1 year high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid 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 1.91%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total transaction of $267,318.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,750. This trade represents a 56.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total transaction of $527,319.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,271.36. This trade represents a 70.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.