Markel Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Markel Group Inc. increased its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 25.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106,000 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,500 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Ferguson worth $18,398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $970,000. Clean Yield Group increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,506,000 after acquiring an additional 5,534 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $587,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 52,776 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.0 %

NASDAQ:FERG traded down $1.62 on Thursday, reaching $154.20. 1,111,823 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,842,328. The company's 50 day moving average is $176.55 and its 200-day moving average is $190.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $153.32 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.

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Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.74 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be given 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 2.15%. Ferguson's payout ratio is presently 39.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on FERG shares. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $193.00 price target (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 target price on Ferguson and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America raised shares of Ferguson from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $201.64.

Ferguson 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.