Cerity Partners LLC Purchases New Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,483 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in Ferguson by 146.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 150.0% during the third quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $213.33 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $134.55 and a 12 month high of $224.86. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $212.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $189.72. The stock has a market cap of $43.27 billion, a PE ratio of 24.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.91 and a beta of 1.27.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.08). Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.99% and a net margin of 6.00%. The company had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.48%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James downgraded Ferguson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ferguson from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.50.

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.