Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by 2Xideas AG

2Xideas AG raised its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 49.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 102,542 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 34,105 shares during the period. Ferguson comprises about 2.4% of 2Xideas AG’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. 2Xideas AG owned 0.05% of Ferguson worth $17,798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,109,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,137,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 3,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $521,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on FERG. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Zelman & Associates lowered Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $189.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $198.62.

Ferguson Stock Down 2.0 %

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $155.22 on Friday. 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 $149.28 and a one year high of $225.63. The company has a market cap of $31.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $171.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $186.47.

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 business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

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.