Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC lessened its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 19,821 shares of the company’s stock after selling 861 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,440,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC lifted 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Down 4.8 %

Shares of FERG stock opened at $157.54 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $176.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $191.11. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $154.09 and a fifty-two 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 cap of $31.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted 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). Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective for the company. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Zelman & Associates cut shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $217.73.

Ferguson Company 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.