Trillium Asset Management LLC Sells 7,050 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Trillium Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 157,189 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,050 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Ferguson worth $27,296,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 906.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 1,350.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on FERG. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.64.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $162.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $32.52 billion, a PE ratio of 19.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. 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 plc has a fifty-two week low of $152.52 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $175.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $189.40.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.84%.

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.