Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by Level Four Advisory Services LLC

Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,508 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 176.6% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,015,000 after purchasing an additional 6,479 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 3,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $677,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth $204,000. Vinva Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $796,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 555.8% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 39,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,868,000 after acquiring an additional 33,583 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FERG. Wolfe Research started coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Zelman & Associates cut Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.67.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $160.63 on Monday. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $152.52 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The stock has a market cap of $32.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a 50-day moving average of $173.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $187.70.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued 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). The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, 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 paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

About Ferguson

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.