Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 27.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 128,987 shares of the company's stock after selling 48,697 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Ferguson worth $24,904,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of FERG. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in Ferguson by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 275,981 shares of the company's stock worth $53,072,000 after acquiring an additional 9,657 shares in the last quarter. Keel Point LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $228,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in Ferguson by 7,751.7% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 306,607 shares of the company's stock worth $59,197,000 after acquiring an additional 302,702 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $224,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in Ferguson by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 542,455 shares of the company's stock worth $104,318,000 after acquiring an additional 29,396 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Ferguson stock traded down $1.90 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $209.54. The stock had a trading volume of 766,347 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,151,214. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.40, a PEG ratio of 9.00 and a beta of 1.27. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $130.75 and a 1-year high of $224.86. The stock's fifty day moving average is $210.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.27.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. Ferguson's payout ratio is currently 36.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ferguson from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Raymond James lowered Ferguson from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $166.50.

Ferguson 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.