Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Has $6.84 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. reduced its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,418 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,011 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $6,842,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,011,000. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 176.6% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,015,000 after purchasing an additional 6,479 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,249,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in Ferguson by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 172,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,833,000 after buying an additional 13,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Zelman & Associates downgraded Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 target price (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.67.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $163.28 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $152.52 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The business has a fifty day moving average of $174.20 and a 200-day moving average of $187.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market cap of $32.65 billion, a PE ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.74 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio 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.