Natixis Acquires 54,726 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Natixis boosted its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 105.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 106,750 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 54,726 shares during the period. Natixis owned approximately 0.05% of Ferguson worth $18,529,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Ferguson Trading Up 3.9 %

FERG traded up $6.30 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $169.49. 1,851,457 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,576,832. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $165.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $182.64. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.35, 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.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced 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 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 prior year, the business earned $1.74 EPS. Ferguson's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $193.00 price objective (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $189.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Zelman & Associates cut Ferguson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Ferguson from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.38.

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.