Armor Advisors L.L.C. Purchases Shares of 59,600 Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Armor Advisors L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 59,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,345,000. Ferguson comprises approximately 10.8% of Armor Advisors L.L.C.'s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. LGT Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Ferguson by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on FERG shares. 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 research report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $193.00 target price (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price objective on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.38.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG traded up $4.33 during trading on Thursday, reaching $172.51. The company had a trading volume of 479,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,592,340. The firm's fifty day moving average is $163.78 and its 200 day moving average is $180.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.49 billion, a PE ratio of 20.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. 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 plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $225.63.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

About Ferguson

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.