Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Blueshift Asset Management LLC

Blueshift Asset Management LLC cut its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 43.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,163 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,644 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 906.7% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth $45,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $45,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on FERG. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.67.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $163.83 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $152.52 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $175.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $189.05.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued 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 during 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%. Ferguson’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.74 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.84%.

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.