Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Voloridge Investment Management LLC

Voloridge Investment Management LLC lessened its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 402,803 shares of the company's stock after selling 48,217 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.20% of Ferguson worth $69,915,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 944.4% during the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 3,537,155 shares of the company's stock worth $613,944,000 after acquiring an additional 3,198,477 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $469,730,000. Barclays PLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 1,811,287 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 1,539,889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at $239,539,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of FERG stock traded down $1.11 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $178.19. 1,551,032 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,626,201. The stock has a market cap of $35.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. 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 fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.55.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for 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%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Ferguson's payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FERG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Barclays lowered their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Ferguson and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.38.

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.