Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Has $6.89 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in Ferguson by 33.7% in Q4 to 30,943 shares, valued at about $6.89 million.
• Analysts have been lifting price targets (Oppenheimer, Barclays, RBC among them), leaving a MarketBeat consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $267.27 consensus target price.
• Ferguson reported Q4 EPS of $1.99, missing estimates of $2.24 while revenue rose 3.6%, and the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.89 (annualized $3.56, ~1.4% yield).

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 33.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,943 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,795 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $6,889,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 4.6% in the third quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 992 shares of the company's stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,979 shares of the company's stock valued at $886,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 7.5% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company's stock valued at $150,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Ferguson by 21.7% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 292 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the company's stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their target price 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. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ferguson from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $267.27.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:FERG opened at $256.83 on Thursday. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $158.68 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The firm has a market cap of $49.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company's 50 day moving average is $243.79 and its 200-day moving average is $241.42.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 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%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 35.96%.

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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