Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Bought by EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 14.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,152 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 14.8% in the 4th 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. Saturna Capital Corp raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 237,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,139,000 after purchasing an additional 25,126 shares in the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $937,000. Inspire Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 3,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Markel Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 106,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,398,000 after purchasing an additional 21,500 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $159.82 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $31.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $175.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $190.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $152.52 and a 12 month high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.74 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast 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. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on FERG shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays dropped their price target on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.