O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Has $3.16 Million Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,178 shares of the company’s stock after selling 399 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,155,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maven Securities LTD bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $516,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $129,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Ferguson by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,541,079 shares of the company’s stock valued at $905,230,000 after acquiring an additional 161,662 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in Ferguson by 249.8% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 166,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,979,000 after acquiring an additional 118,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wills Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wills Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,121,000 after acquiring an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $158.42 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $31.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $172.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $186.90. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $152.52 and a one year high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly 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). The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $1.74 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on FERG. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 target price (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.62.

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.