Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 14,820 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,375,000. Ferguson accounts for approximately 0.8% of Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding.
Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Parnassus Investments LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 944.4% during the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 3,537,155 shares of the company's stock worth $613,944,000 after buying an additional 3,198,477 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $469,730,000. Barclays PLC increased its position in Ferguson by 208.8% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,678,880 shares of the company's stock worth $464,973,000 after buying an additional 1,811,287 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,007,892 shares of the company's stock worth $1,740,049,000 after buying an additional 1,539,889 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $239,539,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ferguson from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $189.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.15.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on FERG
Ferguson Price Performance
Shares of Ferguson stock traded down $0.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $182.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,856,524 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,631,324. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The company has a market capitalization of $36.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $169.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $178.07.
Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.
Ferguson Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.84%.
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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