HighTower Advisors LLC Has $3.98 Million Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 15.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,939 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,189 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,982,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 32.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,359,000 after purchasing an additional 7,862 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 778,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,247,000 after purchasing an additional 52,776 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $587,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth $970,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,506,000 after purchasing an additional 5,534 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $163.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $32.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $152.52 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The business’s 50 day moving average is $175.16 and its 200-day moving average is $189.05.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for 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 for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.74 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Berenberg Bank increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Zelman & Associates cut shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Four 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, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.67.

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.