Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Acquires 3,300 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 985.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,635 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $631,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in 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 period. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% during the 4th 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 bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Ferguson stock opened at $160.63 on Monday. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $152.52 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $173.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $187.70. The stock has a market cap 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. 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 (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.74 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Zelman & Associates lowered shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.67.

About Ferguson

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.