JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has $285.77 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 15.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,646,437 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 225,987 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $285,772,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ferguson by 906.7% during 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 period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 1,350.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in Ferguson by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $160.63 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $32.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $152.52 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $173.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.70. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.74 earnings per share. Ferguson’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price objective (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates cut shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.67.

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.