Barclays PLC Raises Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 208.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,678,880 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,811,287 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 1.34% of Ferguson worth $464,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Ferguson by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group reissued 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. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $199.38.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Ferguson stock traded up $1.89 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $164.28. 1,604,932 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,563,506. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The business's 50-day moving average is $166.66 and its 200-day moving average is $183.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.85 billion, a PE ratio of 19.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson's payout ratio is 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.