Janus Henderson Group PLC Purchases 62,887 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,935,419 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 62,887 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 2.47% of Ferguson worth $856,746,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Ferguson by 906.7% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $171.24 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $163.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $180.11. The company has a market capitalization of $34.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.56, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on FERG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $174.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Zelman & Associates cut Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.38.

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.