Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Bank of Marin

Bank of Marin cut its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,212 shares of the company’s stock after selling 139 shares during the quarter. Bank of Marin’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $558,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 32.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,359,000 after acquiring an additional 7,862 shares during the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth $702,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 158,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,533,000 after acquiring an additional 4,924 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth $678,000. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth $6,792,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on FERG shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.64.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG opened at $162.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $32.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.52, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $152.52 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $175.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.40.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS. Ferguson’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.04%. 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.