Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Purchases Shares of 22,728 Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 22,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,945,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,137,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $610,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of FERG stock opened at $162.62 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $175.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.40. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $152.52 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The company has a market capitalization of $32.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced its earnings results 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). Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.74 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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 $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $189.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.64.

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.