Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Pathstone Holdings LLC

Pathstone Holdings LLC cut its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,395 shares of the company’s stock after selling 653 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $7,889,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FERG. Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 944.4% in the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 3,537,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $613,944,000 after buying an additional 3,198,477 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $469,730,000. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 208.8% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,678,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,973,000 after buying an additional 1,811,287 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,007,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,740,049,000 after buying an additional 1,539,889 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $239,539,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.6%

FERG stock opened at $184.54 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The company has a market capitalization of $36.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $165.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.62. 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 released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock 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 issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $174.00 price objective on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.