London & Capital Asset Management Ltd Lowers Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

London & Capital Asset Management Ltd lowered its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 8.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 221,186 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,667 shares during the quarter. Ferguson makes up approximately 3.5% of London & Capital Asset Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. London & Capital Asset Management Ltd owned approximately 0.11% of Ferguson worth $49,667,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Ferguson by 23.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,445,000 after buying an additional 2,940 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the first quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 22.7% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $257,000. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $238,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.62.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $260.62 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $50.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.33, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.18. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $247.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.21.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released 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 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.52 EPS.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Ferguson Company 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.