Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 50,779 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 387 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $8,814,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% in the fourth 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on FERG shares. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 target price on Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $198.62.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $155.22 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $31.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $149.28 and a one year high of $225.63. The company has a 50-day moving average of $171.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.61.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm 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 is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. 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.