Bank of Montreal Can Sells 31,595 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Bank of Montreal Can lessened its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 140,966 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,595 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned approximately 0.07% of Ferguson worth $24,467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.8 %

FERG opened at $164.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $32.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.76, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company’s 50 day moving average is $168.30 and its 200-day moving average is $184.42. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.74 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on FERG. Citigroup reduced their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Barclays reduced their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $189.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.62.

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.