Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Two Sigma Investments LP

Two Sigma Investments LP lowered its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 93.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,419 shares of the company's stock after selling 488,699 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP's holdings in Ferguson were worth $5,801,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% in the 4th 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 grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% in 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 in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% in the fourth 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 and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Ferguson stock traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $182.75. 1,143,021 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,623,290. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.98, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.74 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 40.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Ferguson from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.15.

About Ferguson

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.