Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP decreased its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 61.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,906 shares of the company’s stock after selling 39,086 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $4,323,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG opened at $159.82 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $175.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $190.23. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $152.52 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The firm has a market cap of $31.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. 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 (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 39.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price target on the stock. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.64.

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.