Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Buys Shares of 3,176 Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $551,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 906.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 106.3% in the 4th quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Ferguson by 92.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of FERG stock opened at $171.24 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $163.79 and a 200 day moving average of $180.22. The stock has a market cap of $34.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $189.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.38.

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.