Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co decreased its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 22.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 13,906 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,919 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $2,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on FERG. Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup dropped their price target 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. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $189.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.67.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.4 %

FERG opened at $160.63 on Friday. 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 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $173.86 and its 200-day moving average is $187.70. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $152.52 and a one year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued 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). The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during 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%. Ferguson’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date 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%.

Ferguson 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.