Madison Investment Advisors LLC Takes Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 300,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,175,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC owned 0.15% of Ferguson at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of FERG. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 1,350.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup dropped their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Zelman & Associates lowered Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. 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. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.64.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $155.94 on Thursday. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $154.09 and a 52 week high of $225.63. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $31.18 billion, a PE ratio of 18.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $176.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $190.86.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its 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). The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 last year, the business earned $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 39.86%.

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.