Sava Infond d.o.o. Takes Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Sava Infond d.o.o. bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Ferguson by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,646,437 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,772,000 after acquiring an additional 225,987 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 167,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,156,000 after purchasing an additional 31,245 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in Ferguson by 227.5% in the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 43,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,622,000 after purchasing an additional 30,505 shares during the period. Finally, Cannon Global Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 205.0% in the fourth quarter. Cannon Global Investment Management LLC now owns 6,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,059,000 after purchasing an additional 4,100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $163.28 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $32.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $174.20 and a 200 day moving average of $187.89. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $152.52 and a 52 week 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 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.74 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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 given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Berenberg Bank upped their target price on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.