Signaturefd LLC Trims Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Signaturefd LLC decreased its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,531 shares of the company’s stock after selling 206 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $613,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 1,350.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.1 %

FERG opened at $164.72 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $175.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.23. 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 plc has a 12 month low of $152.52 and a 12 month high of $225.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) 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 firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on FERG. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $189.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates downgraded Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.67.

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.