Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Acquired by Level Four Advisory Services LLC

Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,508 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 207 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in Ferguson by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,804,595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,814,000 after buying an additional 192,052 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $469,730,000. Sava Infond d.o.o. purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $121,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Ferguson by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,646,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,772,000 after purchasing an additional 225,987 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Ferguson by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 167,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,156,000 after purchasing an additional 31,245 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Ferguson stock opened at $160.63 on Monday. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $152.52 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $32.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $173.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.70.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced 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 business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 target price (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Zelman & Associates lowered shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.67.

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.