Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by Mawer Investment Management Ltd.

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 2,384.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,071,575 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,028,440 shares during the quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $185,993,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 1,350.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FERG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Zelman & Associates cut Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.67.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG opened at $160.63 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $152.52 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $173.86 and a 200-day moving average of $187.70.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced 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 business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company’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 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 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.