Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC Has $6.42 Million Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 43.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 37,000 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,118 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $6,422,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in Ferguson by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $971,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in Ferguson by 27.0% during the fourth quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 59,791 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,409,000 after purchasing an additional 12,721 shares in the last quarter. Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. raised its position in Ferguson by 206.9% during the fourth quarter. Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. now owns 92,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,074,000 after purchasing an additional 62,436 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $155.23 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $152.52 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The stock has a market cap of $31.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company’s fifty day moving average is $176.18 and its 200 day moving average is $190.62.

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 firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.74 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given 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 2.14%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.64.

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.