Natural Investments LLC Takes $937,000 Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Natural Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 5,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $937,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in FERG. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,137,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 33.8% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 3.8% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 41.1% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $157.54 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $176.90 and its 200-day moving average is $191.11. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $154.09 and a 12 month high of $225.63. The firm 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reduced their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson currently has an average 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.