1,130 Shares in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Purchased by LGT Group Foundation

LGT Group Foundation acquired a new position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $218,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 542,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,318,000 after acquiring an additional 29,396 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 807.2% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,802,000 after acquiring an additional 12,915 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 30,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,929,000 after purchasing an additional 8,395 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 491.4% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 220,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,569,000 after purchasing an additional 183,199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in Ferguson by 102.0% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 77,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,014,000 after purchasing an additional 39,267 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG opened at $217.17 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $137.12 and a 52-week high of $224.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $44.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.91 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $213.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.02.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.82 by ($0.08). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 37.99%. The company had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.91 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Raymond James downgraded shares of Ferguson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $166.50.

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.