Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Has $971,000 Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,597 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 559 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $971,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 423.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,462,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $290,475,000 after buying an additional 1,183,143 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in Ferguson by 339.9% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,234,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,320,000 after purchasing an additional 954,092 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Ferguson by 7,632.6% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 677,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,626,000 after buying an additional 668,920 shares during the period. Cantillon Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,111,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,523,000 after acquiring an additional 415,002 shares during the period. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP grew its holdings in Ferguson by 133.3% during the third quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,999,000 after purchasing an additional 400,000 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price target (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.67.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $164.72 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.94 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $152.52 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $175.33 and a 200 day moving average of $189.23.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.84%.

Ferguson 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.