Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Sells 683 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado trimmed its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,309 shares of the company’s stock after selling 683 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,525,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 906.7% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in Ferguson by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $169.72 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $164.38 and a 200 day moving average of $181.79. 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 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $225.63. The company has a market capitalization of $33.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released 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 business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on FERG shares. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 target price (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a 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 report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price target for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.