UMB Bank n.a. Takes $59,000 Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

UMB Bank n.a. bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,307 shares of the company’s stock worth $657,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 33.8% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commerce Bank raised its holdings in Ferguson by 3.8% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays dropped their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Ferguson from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Zelman & Associates lowered shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.10.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $180.68 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $167.27 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.69, 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 quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The company’s fifty day moving average is $189.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $197.82.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

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