Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Grows Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 8.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,220 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of FERG. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in Ferguson by 146.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.8 %

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $211.44 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $210.16 and a 200 day moving average of $187.27. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $130.75 and a 52 week high of $224.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.01, a P/E/G ratio of 9.00 and a beta of 1.27.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.08). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 37.99%. 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 company earned $1.91 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FERG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James cut shares of Ferguson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ferguson from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.