Mariner LLC Sells 1,025 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Mariner LLC decreased its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,218 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,025 shares during the period. Mariner LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parnassus Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 944.4% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 3,537,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $613,944,000 after acquiring an additional 3,198,477 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at $469,730,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 208.8% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,678,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,973,000 after buying an additional 1,811,287 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,007,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,740,049,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,889 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group bought a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at about $239,539,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of FERG stock opened at $160.03 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $166.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $182.91. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. 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 (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 40.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on FERG. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.38.

Ferguson Company 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.