Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Acquired by Coldstream Capital Management Inc.

Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,672 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $637,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,007,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,740,049,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539,889 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Ferguson by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,991,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,039,935,000 after buying an additional 1,231,120 shares in the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 944.4% during the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 3,537,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $613,944,000 after buying an additional 3,198,477 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,215,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $557,082,000 after acquiring an additional 18,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,804,595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,814,000 after acquiring an additional 192,052 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $169.72 on Wednesday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $164.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.79. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.93 billion, a PE ratio of 20.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly 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). Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid 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 dividend yield of 1.96%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on FERG. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Bank of America raised Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.38.

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.