Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Grows Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,597 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 559 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $971,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1,350.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 906.7% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% during the fourth 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 currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FERG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.67.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $164.72 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $175.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $189.23. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $152.52 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. 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.