GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Acquires 8,395 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 37.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 30,707 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,395 shares during the quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $5,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 146.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 187 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp boosted its stake in Ferguson by 2,291.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 287 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ferguson from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Raymond James lowered shares of Ferguson from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $166.50.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Ferguson stock traded down $2.19 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $218.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,549,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,137,471. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $126.18 and a one year high of $224.86. The company has a market capitalization of $44.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.38, a P/E/G ratio of 9.34 and a beta of 1.27. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $208.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $185.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.80.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 37.99%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.91 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.74%.

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.