Korea Investment CORP trimmed its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 19.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 128,555 shares of the company's stock after selling 31,917 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned about 0.06% of Ferguson worth $22,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FERG. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.3% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 227.5% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 43,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,622,000 after acquiring an additional 30,505 shares in the last quarter. Cannon Global Investment Management LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 205.0% during the 4th quarter. Cannon Global Investment Management LLC now owns 6,100 shares of the company's stock worth $1,059,000 after purchasing an additional 4,100 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 50,779 shares of the company's stock worth $8,814,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $11,929,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Ferguson Stock Performance
Shares of FERG traded down $8.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $156.74. 912,895 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,511,471. The business's 50-day moving average price is $172.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $187.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $152.52 and a 12 month high of $225.63.
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). Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS. Ferguson's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.
Ferguson Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors 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 yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.84%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages recently commented on FERG. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $189.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $193.00 target price (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $198.62.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on FERG
Ferguson Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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