UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Has $660,000 Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lessened its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 17.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 800 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $660,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sava Infond d.o.o. acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth about $121,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,646,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,772,000 after purchasing an additional 225,987 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 167,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,156,000 after purchasing an additional 31,245 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in Ferguson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in Ferguson by 227.5% in the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 43,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,622,000 after buying an additional 30,505 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $160.37 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.07 billion, a PE ratio of 19.25, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $152.52 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $173.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.49.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FERG. Zelman & Associates lowered shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.