Ferguson plc $FERG Stock Holdings Reduced by R Squared Ltd

Key Points

• R Squared Ltd cut its stake in Ferguson by 85% in Q4, selling 7,329 shares and leaving 1,297 shares valued at $289,000; nonetheless, institutional investors still own about 81.98% of the company and several other funds increased their positions.
• Ferguson missed Q quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $1.99 vs. $2.24 consensus while revenue rose 3.6% YoY; the stock trades near $256 with a P/E of 25.9 and a 52-week range of $165.10–$271.64.
• Dividend declared and generally positive analyst outlook: Ferguson announced a $0.89 quarterly dividend (annualized $3.56, ~1.4% yield), and analysts hold a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target of $267.27 and some targets raised up to $300.

R Squared Ltd lowered its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 85.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,297 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,329 shares during the quarter. R Squared Ltd's holdings in Ferguson were worth $289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in Ferguson by 281.7% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 24,859 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,534,000 after purchasing an additional 18,346 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank grew its stake in Ferguson by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 5,931 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,321,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in Ferguson by 89.6% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 30,983 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,898,000 after purchasing an additional 14,644 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 1,487 shares of the company's stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,578 shares of the company's stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG opened at $256.07 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $49.78 billion, a PE ratio of 25.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $243.72 and a 200-day moving average of $243.56. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $165.10 and a 52-week high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a return on equity of 40.37% and a net margin of 6.93%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson's payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ferguson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $267.27.

About Ferguson

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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