Artisan Partners Limited Partnership reduced its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 64.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 466,960 shares of the company's stock after selling 830,134 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned approximately 0.23% of Ferguson worth $81,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 7,862 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 7.3% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $587,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth approximately $970,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group increased its stake in Ferguson by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company's stock worth $4,506,000 after acquiring an additional 5,534 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.
Ferguson Stock Up 0.2 %
FERG traded up $0.38 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $160.61. 1,858,497 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,511,495. The stock has a market cap of $32.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $173.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $187.26. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $152.52 and a twelve month high of $225.63. 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 (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company's revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.74 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.
Ferguson Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 40.84%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
FERG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Citigroup cut their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $193.00 target price (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price objective on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $198.62.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Ferguson
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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