Stifel Financial Corp Buys 6,949 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 94,080 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,949 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in Ferguson were worth $16,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FERG. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Ferguson by 32.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company's stock worth $6,359,000 after acquiring an additional 7,862 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 778,737 shares of the company's stock worth $135,247,000 after buying an additional 52,776 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $587,000. Clean Yield Group lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company's stock worth $4,506,000 after buying an additional 5,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Markel Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 106,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,398,000 after buying an additional 21,500 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock traded up $0.49 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $170.15. 333,002 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,932,771. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market cap of $34.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $181.71.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 target price on shares of Ferguson and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Barclays lowered their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $193.00 price objective (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.38.

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.