Rathbones Group PLC Acquires 181,746 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Rathbones Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 25.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 903,076 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 181,746 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC owned 0.45% of Ferguson worth $156,779,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company's stock worth $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company's stock worth $4,137,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company's stock valued at $610,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 41.1% in 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, Inspire Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 3,001 shares of the company's stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. 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 research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $189.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $198.62.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ:FERG traded up $2.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $164.61. 2,156,460 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,557,492. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $225.63. The stock has a market cap of $32.91 billion, a PE ratio of 19.76, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $168.30 and a 200 day moving average of $184.42.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.84%.

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.