V Square Quantitative Management LLC Purchases Shares of 4,001 Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• V Square Quantitative Management initiated a new stake in Ferguson by buying 4,001 shares in Q4, valued at about $891,000.
• Ferguson reported Q4 EPS of $1.99 (vs. $2.24 expected) with revenue up 3.6% year-over-year, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89 ($3.56 annual, ~1.4% yield).
• Institutional ownership is high at 81.98%—large holders include State Street, Franklin, and Wellington—and analysts rate the stock a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $267.27.

V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 4,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $891,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of FERG. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,437,468 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,000,152,000 after acquiring an additional 81,094 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,367,818 shares of the company's stock worth $980,921,000 after buying an additional 112,157 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 22.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,734,911 shares of the company's stock worth $838,786,000 after acquiring an additional 682,666 shares in the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,705,056 shares of the company's stock worth $806,776,000 after acquiring an additional 100,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Egerton Capital UK LLP boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 16.4% in the third quarter. Egerton Capital UK LLP now owns 2,600,224 shares of the company's stock worth $583,958,000 after acquiring an additional 366,898 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

NYSE:FERG opened at $253.84 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $155.73 and a one year high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. The firm has a market cap of $49.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.64, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.21. The firm's fifty day moving average is $243.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.52.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. Ferguson's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on FERG. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their price target on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $267.27.

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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