Schroder Investment Management Group Acquires Shares of 1,380,072 Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Schroder Investment Management Group purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,380,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $239,539,000. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.69% of Ferguson at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 176.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the company's stock worth $2,015,000 after purchasing an additional 6,479 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 6.6% during the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 3,409 shares of the company's stock valued at $677,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP bought a new position in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 423.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,462,836 shares of the company's stock valued at $290,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183,143 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Tuesday. They set a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Ferguson from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $189.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $198.62.

Remove Ads

Ferguson Stock Performance

Ferguson stock traded down $5.79 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $159.02. The stock had a trading volume of 1,193,207 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,512,449. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $152.52 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The company has a market capitalization of $31.80 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The firm's fifty day moving average is $172.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.10.

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). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.74 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. Ferguson's payout ratio 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.