Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. Purchases 4,878 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 200.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,309 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,878 shares during the quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Ferguson by 92.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $175.33 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.06 billion, a PE ratio of 21.05, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $179.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted 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). Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $189.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays dropped their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research 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 report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.