Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Acquired by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,452 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,511 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 76.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,281,000 after acquiring an additional 377,283 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,524 shares of the company's stock valued at $959,000 after acquiring an additional 804 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at $283,000. UMB Bank n.a. bought a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Perpetual Ltd lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 47,828 shares of the company's stock worth $8,302,000 after buying an additional 3,661 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $204.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.38.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.7%

Ferguson stock opened at $183.34 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $36.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.01, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company's 50-day moving average price is $165.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.27. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.74 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. 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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