Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Bought by Eminence Capital LP

Eminence Capital LP grew its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 162.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 777,965 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 482,066 shares during the quarter. Ferguson accounts for 2.1% of Eminence Capital LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Eminence Capital LP owned 0.39% of Ferguson worth $135,031,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in 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 in the last quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 106.3% during the 4th 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 period. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FERG. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 target price on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five equities research 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.38.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $168.79 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock's 50 day moving average is $163.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.67. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $146.00 and a 52-week high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.74 EPS. Analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 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.

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