Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Purchases 3,137 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Ferguson plc by 2.6%, acquiring 3,137 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to 122,825 shares valued at approximately $26.7 million.
• Ferguson announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, set to be paid on November 7th, with a dividend yield of 1.5% and a payout ratio of 35.55%.
• Several analysts have raised their price targets for Ferguson stock, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $235.71.

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 2.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 122,825 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,137 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned 0.06% of Ferguson worth $26,745,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 160.2% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 4,244 shares of the company's stock worth $680,000 after acquiring an additional 2,613 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 166.7% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 10,887 shares of the company's stock worth $1,744,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group raised its stake in Ferguson by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 27,965 shares of the company's stock worth $4,481,000 after acquiring an additional 2,006 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 41.5% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 467 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.5%

FERG stock opened at $225.67 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $227.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $201.68. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $243.40. 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 firm has a market cap of $44.27 billion, a PE ratio of 27.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.15.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Investors of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on FERG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Berenberg Bank reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $231.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $235.71.

Ferguson 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.

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