UBS Group Reiterates "Neutral" Rating for Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG)

UBS Group reaffirmed their neutral rating on shares of Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. UBS Group currently has a $193.00 target price on the stock, down from their previous target price of $230.00.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on FERG. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America raised Ferguson from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $234.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $219.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $245.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $222.40.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG traded down $0.07 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $172.14. The stock had a trading volume of 1,638,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,204,034. Ferguson has a 52 week low of $170.93 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. The firm's fifty day moving average is $195.71 and its 200 day moving average is $199.07. The stock has a market cap of $34.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. This is a positive change from Ferguson's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.86%.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at $378,696.04. The trade was a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total transaction of $295,361.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,047,246. The trade was a 22.00 % 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 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FERG. First Hawaiian Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $342,000. Dudley & Shanley Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $18,984,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth about $1,028,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,907 shares of the company's stock valued at $505,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 167.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 399 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

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.