Neuberger Berman Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 63.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,593 shares of the company's stock after selling 38,127 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC's holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% in the 4th 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 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 41.1% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.
Ferguson Trading Up 1.2 %
NASDAQ:FERG traded up $1.89 on Thursday, reaching $164.28. The stock had a trading volume of 775,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,555,733. The company has a market cap of $32.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm's fifty day moving average is $167.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $183.78.
Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.74 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Ferguson Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued 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 2.02%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.84%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays reduced their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $189.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Ferguson from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $199.38.
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About Ferguson
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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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