Quilter Plc Has $18.25 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

Quilter Plc reduced its holdings in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 11.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 81,986 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,633 shares during the period. Quilter Plc’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $18,253,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 178.3% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 154.4% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at $34,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.1%

FERG opened at $235.42 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $45.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.78, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $244.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.25. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. Ferguson’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.52 earnings per share.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ferguson from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.93.

Ferguson Profile

Ferguson (NYSE: FERG) is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.