Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Stake Cut by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC cut its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 252,553 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,800 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned about 0.13% of Ferguson worth $43,836,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth approximately $129,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,541,079 shares of the company's stock valued at $905,230,000 after purchasing an additional 161,662 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 249.8% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 166,084 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,979,000 after buying an additional 118,600 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 36.5% during the 3rd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 22,557 shares of the company's stock worth $4,479,000 after buying an additional 6,031 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 116.6% in the 3rd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 28,629 shares of the company's stock worth $5,685,000 after buying an additional 15,410 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on FERG. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $198.62.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of FERG traded up $1.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $162.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 938,990 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,552,769. The company has a market cap of $32.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.53, a P/E/G 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 $168.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $184.66. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The company's revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.74 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.84%.

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.