J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Grows Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 12.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 117,626 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,649 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG owned approximately 0.06% of Ferguson worth $20,417,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company's stock worth $6,359,000 after acquiring an additional 7,862 shares during 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 acquiring an additional 52,776 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $587,000. Clean Yield Group boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,506,000 after purchasing an additional 5,534 shares during the period. Finally, Markel Group Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 106,000 shares of the company's stock worth $18,398,000 after purchasing an additional 21,500 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock traded up $6.30 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $169.49. 1,851,457 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,578,835. The stock's 50 day moving average is $165.11 and its 200 day moving average is $182.46. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The company has a market cap of $33.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.74 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on FERG. Zelman & Associates cut Ferguson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup cut their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $174.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised 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 report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $199.38.

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.