Boston Partners Has $95.09 Million Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Boston Partners lessened its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 46.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 547,765 shares of the company’s stock after selling 471,353 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned 0.27% of Ferguson worth $95,091,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,137,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $610,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.8% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $529,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. 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 buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 3,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $521,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 target price on shares of Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Zelman & Associates cut shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.64.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $162.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $32.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $175.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $189.40. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $152.52 and a one year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued 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). The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. Ferguson’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 earned $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 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.