Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Holdings Decreased by WCM Investment Management LLC

WCM Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 32.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,255,661 shares of the company's stock after selling 609,862 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC owned 0.62% of Ferguson worth $242,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 491.4% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 220,483 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,569,000 after buying an additional 183,199 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Ferguson by 37.6% in the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 30,707 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,929,000 after purchasing an additional 8,395 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $8,341,000. UBS Group AG grew its position in Ferguson by 174.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 104,195 shares of the company's stock worth $17,137,000 after purchasing an additional 66,197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Ferguson by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 18,276 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,527,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ FERG traded down $1.94 on Friday, hitting $216.32. 938,978 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,073,798. The firm has a market cap of $43.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.15, a P/E/G ratio of 9.12 and a beta of 1.27. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $208.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $186.24. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $126.18 and a fifty-two week high of $224.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced 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). Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.99% and a net margin of 6.00%. The business had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.91 EPS. The company's revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.74%.

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.