William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $819,000 Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 22.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,709 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,368 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $819,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 906.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1,350.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $164.72 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market cap of $32.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50 day moving average of $175.33 and a 200-day moving average of $189.23. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $152.52 and a one year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. Ferguson’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.74 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price objective (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $189.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Zelman & Associates cut Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.