Sabal Trust CO Makes New $1.36 Million Investment in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Sabal Trust CO acquired a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 7,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,362,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 906.7% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $174.47 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $167.27 and a 12 month high of $225.63.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 39.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on FERG. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays lowered their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.73.

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.