Natixis Advisors L.P. Has $34.82 Million Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 180,370 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,839 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned 0.09% of Ferguson worth $34,823,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Advocates Investment Management lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 3.6% in the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 1,943 shares of the company's stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 701 shares of the company's stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 5.2% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 1,644 shares of the company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 0.5% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 17,308 shares of the company's stock worth $2,847,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 520 shares of the company's stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ FERG traded up $3.88 on Friday, reaching $217.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 836,882 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,146,346. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $137.12 and a twelve month high of $224.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.80. The stock has a market cap of $44.04 billion, a PE ratio of 25.25, a PEG ratio of 9.07 and a beta of 1.27. The firm's 50 day moving average is $213.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.40.

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). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 37.99%. The firm had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. Ferguson's quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Raymond James downgraded shares of Ferguson from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.