Fiera Capital Corp Decreases Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Fiera Capital Corp lessened its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 18.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,274 shares of the company’s stock after selling 950 shares during the quarter. Fiera Capital Corp’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 80.1% during the first quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 32,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,166,000 after purchasing an additional 14,590 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 14.5% in the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 75,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,493,000 after acquiring an additional 9,562 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,834,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 60,406 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,663,000 after purchasing an additional 10,406 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $732,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on Ferguson from $232.00 to $229.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Ferguson from $217.00 to $211.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.00.

Ferguson Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of FERG opened at $195.62 on Thursday. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $147.62 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $203.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $207.89. The company has a market capitalization of $39.50 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.17 and a beta of 1.21.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 4th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $7.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.32 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.33% and a return on equity of 36.89%. Ferguson’s revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 EPS for the current year.

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.