Keel Point LLC Takes Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Keel Point LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $228,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 542,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,318,000 after purchasing an additional 29,396 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 807.2% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,802,000 after buying an additional 12,915 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Ferguson by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 30,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,929,000 after buying an additional 8,395 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 491.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 220,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,569,000 after buying an additional 183,199 shares during the period. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL bought a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at $8,341,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ FERG opened at $215.41 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $43.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.97, a PEG ratio of 8.98 and a beta of 1.27. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $130.09 and a 12 month high of $224.86. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $209.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $187.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.82 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 37.99%. Ferguson’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.91 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 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 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ferguson from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Raymond James downgraded shares of Ferguson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.50.

Ferguson Company 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.