Two Sigma Investments LP Lowers Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Two Sigma Investments LP decreased its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 93.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 33,419 shares of the company’s stock after selling 488,699 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $5,801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in Ferguson by 76.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,281,000 after purchasing an additional 377,283 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at $467,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Ferguson by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $514,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth about $385,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on FERG. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.38.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $178.19 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $167.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.35. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The firm has a market cap of $35.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. 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 posted its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 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.