Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Acquired by Advisory Research Inc.

Advisory Research Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 26,648 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,087 shares during the quarter. Advisory Research Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $4,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Ferguson by 92.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $162.67 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $32.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.53, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $167.35 and a 200-day moving average of $183.78. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS 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 firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 target price (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.38.

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.