Graypoint LLC Buys New Shares in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Graypoint LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 1,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $245,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,046,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,213,327,000 after acquiring an additional 191,587 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 2.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,247,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,198,094,000 after purchasing an additional 196,489 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth about $610,247,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 3.8% during the second quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,416,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $537,486,000 after purchasing an additional 123,731 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 9.8% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,642,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $353,394,000 after purchasing an additional 235,236 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $215.00 on Tuesday. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $130.09 and a 12-month high of $224.86. The stock has a market cap of $43.60 billion, a PE ratio of 23.11, a P/E/G ratio of 9.03 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a 50 day moving average of $209.35 and a 200-day moving average of $186.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.08). Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.99% and a net margin of 6.00%. The firm had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.91 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ferguson from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Raymond James cut Ferguson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $166.50.

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.