Comerica Bank cut its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 36.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,850 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,943 shares during the period. Comerica Bank's holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,189,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.
Ferguson Trading Up 0.3%
NASDAQ FERG traded up $0.58 on Tuesday, reaching $177.19. The stock had a trading volume of 1,018,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,605,827. 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 has a fifty day moving average price of $164.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $179.83. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14.
Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.74 EPS. Ferguson's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Ferguson Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were paid 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 1.87%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.84%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research firms have recently commented on FERG. Citigroup reduced their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $189.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 target price on Ferguson and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $204.00 price objective on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $199.38.
Read Our Latest Report on Ferguson
About Ferguson
(
Free Report)
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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