Mariner Investment Group LLC Has $1.34 Million Stock Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Mariner Investment Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 91.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 64,000 shares during the quarter. Mariner Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $886,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $375,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Ferguson by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.58.

Ferguson Stock Up 4.1%

NYSE:FERG opened at $239.04 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $207.64 and a 12-month high of $271.64. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $240.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.15.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.14. Ferguson had a return on equity of 38.81% and a net margin of 6.98%.The business had revenue of $7.47 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 41.40%.

Ferguson declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, May 5th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.