Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Stock Holdings Lowered by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 134,248 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,990 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Ferguson worth $23,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,137,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $610,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Commerce Bank raised its stake in Ferguson by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Ferguson by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 3,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG opened at $162.58 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $189.70. The firm has a market cap of $32.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $152.52 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly 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 company 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.74 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.04%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer cut 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.64.

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.