Trillium Asset Management LLC Trims Stake in Ferguson plc $FERG

Trillium Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 19.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,392 shares of the company’s stock after selling 29,254 shares during the quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Ferguson worth $26,647,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Atria Investments Inc boosted its position in Ferguson by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 15,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,459,000 after acquiring an additional 4,259 shares in the last quarter. Kinetic Partners Management LP boosted its position in Ferguson by 53.4% during the 3rd quarter. Kinetic Partners Management LP now owns 349,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,378,000 after acquiring an additional 121,500 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its position in Ferguson by 79.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 12,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,769,000 after acquiring an additional 5,463 shares in the last quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 74,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,821,000 after acquiring an additional 2,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fieldview Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at $3,258,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.9%

Ferguson stock opened at $230.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.15. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $207.64 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $240.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $241.08.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.40%.

Ferguson announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, May 5th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.77.

Ferguson 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.