Allstate Corp acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,039,000.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 944.4% during the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 3,537,155 shares of the company's stock valued at $613,944,000 after purchasing an additional 3,198,477 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $469,730,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in Ferguson by 339.9% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,234,776 shares of the company's stock worth $214,320,000 after buying an additional 954,092 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 7,632.6% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 677,684 shares of the company's stock worth $117,626,000 after acquiring an additional 668,920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cantillon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,111,673 shares of the company's stock worth $366,523,000 after acquiring an additional 415,002 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.
Ferguson Trading Down 2.0 %
Shares of FERG stock traded down $3.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $155.22. 4,323,025 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,530,107. 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 $148.81 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.61. The firm has a market cap of $31.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.
Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.74 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.
Ferguson Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages have recently commented on FERG. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday. They set a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $193.00 target price (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Berenberg Bank increased their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $198.62.
Read Our Latest Analysis on FERG
About Ferguson
(
Free Report)
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.
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