Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Acquired by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 65.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 82,593 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 32,705 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $18,388,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in FERG. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 178.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on FERG. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.64.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.6%

Ferguson stock opened at $229.14 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $44.44 billion, a PE ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.78. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $241.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $241.33. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $207.64 and a twelve month high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $7.47 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.98% and a return on equity of 38.81%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.50 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, May 5th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 3.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 41.40%.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson (NYSE: FERG) is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.