Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 2,274 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 1,109.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,479 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,274 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $552,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Atria Investments Inc lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 38.2% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 15,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,459,000 after buying an additional 4,259 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $1,002,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 20,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,609,000 after acquiring an additional 2,145 shares during the last quarter. Kinetic Partners Management LP raised its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, C WorldWide Group Holding A S lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 108.8% in the 3rd quarter. C WorldWide Group Holding A S now owns 535,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,232,000 after purchasing an additional 278,971 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $235.42 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.76 billion, a PE ratio of 23.78, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.21. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.25.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. Ferguson’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 35.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays increased their target price on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings lowered Ferguson from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.93.

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.