Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Position Raised by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 17.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 21,511 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,202 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,734,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 32.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,359,000 after purchasing an additional 7,862 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth $702,000. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at $678,000. Commerce Bank boosted its stake in Ferguson by 3.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth about $248,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $163.83 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $175.16 and its 200-day moving average is $189.05. 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 market capitalization of $32.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $152.52 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.74 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on FERG. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $189.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Bank of America raised Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group reissued 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.67.

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.