D.A. Davidson & CO. Has $6.90 Million Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in Ferguson by 89.6% in Q4 to 30,983 shares worth about $6.90 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 81.98% of the company.
• Ferguson reported Q4 EPS of $1.99, missing estimates by $0.25 while revenue rose 3.6%; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89 (1.4% yield, payout ratio 35.96%) payable April 30.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $267.27, while the stock trades near a market cap of about $50.2 billion.

D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 89.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,983 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,644 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $6,898,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in Ferguson by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 15,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,459,000 after purchasing an additional 4,259 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,002,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in Ferguson by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 20,523 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,609,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares during the period. Kinetic Partners Management LP boosted its stake in Ferguson by 53.4% during the 3rd quarter. Kinetic Partners Management LP now owns 349,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,378,000 after purchasing an additional 121,500 shares during the period. Finally, C WorldWide Group Holding A S boosted its stake in Ferguson by 108.8% during the 3rd quarter. C WorldWide Group Holding A S now owns 535,363 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,232,000 after purchasing an additional 278,971 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FERG opened at $258.25 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.21. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $243.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $243.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $165.10 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. Ferguson's revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 35.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $267.27.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson NYSE: FERG is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.

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