Schroder Investment Management Group Purchases New Shares in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,380,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,539,000. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.69% of Ferguson as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,541,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $905,230,000 after purchasing an additional 161,662 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 944.4% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 3,537,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $613,944,000 after purchasing an additional 3,198,477 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 0.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,197,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $633,409,000 after purchasing an additional 25,677 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,804,595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,814,000 after buying an additional 192,052 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $469,730,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $160.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.12 billion, a PE ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $187.70. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $152.52 and a one year high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on FERG. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note 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, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.67.

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.