Quantinno Capital Management LP Boosts Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 31.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 35,127 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,348 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP's holdings in Ferguson were worth $6,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Ferguson by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the company's stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company's stock valued at $610,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LGT Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 106.3% in the 4th quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock traded down $1.08 on Tuesday, hitting $182.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 767,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,617,365. 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 plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The company has a market capitalization of $36.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The stock's 50 day moving average is $165.68 and its 200-day moving average is $179.27.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.74 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 target price on shares of Ferguson and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $199.38.

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.