5,987 Shares in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Purchased by Allstate Corp

Allstate Corp bought a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 5,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,039,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% during the 4th 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 period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $189.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Zelman & Associates downgraded Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.67.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of FERG stock opened at $160.63 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. 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 50-day moving average price of $173.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $187.70.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.74 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share 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 paid a $0.83 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 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.