Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Bought by Principal Street Partners LLC

Principal Street Partners LLC raised its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,320 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $229,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 778,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,247,000 after acquiring an additional 52,776 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $587,000. Markel Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 106,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,398,000 after acquiring an additional 21,500 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $467,000. Finally, Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,255,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.38.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ FERG opened at $182.12 on Wednesday. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month 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. The stock has a market cap of $36.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $166.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.29.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

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.