Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by GFI Investment Counsel Ltd.

GFI Investment Counsel Ltd. raised its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 282,388 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,213 shares during the period. Ferguson accounts for about 5.6% of GFI Investment Counsel Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. GFI Investment Counsel Ltd. owned about 0.14% of Ferguson worth $49,014,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring 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. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $160.37 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $173.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.25, a PEG 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 plc has a 52-week low of $152.52 and a 52-week high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid 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 is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 40.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 target price on Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price target (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued 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.