Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Reduces Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 80.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,650 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,091 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. 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. LGT Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Ferguson by 92.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Ferguson by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.1%

NASDAQ:FERG traded down $1.98 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $180.36. 2,121,390 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,628,710. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $169.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.70. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. Ferguson's revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $174.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ferguson from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.15.

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.