Freestone Grove Partners LP Acquires Shares of 4,197 Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,197 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $728,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 906.7% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in Ferguson by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 41.1% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on FERG. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $189.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $199.38.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.1 %

FERG traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $171.00. 264,348 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,593,663. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $225.63. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $163.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st were given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

Ferguson Company Profile

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.