Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $9.06 Million Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 52.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,210 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,072 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $9,062,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,468,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,668,462,000 after acquiring an additional 288,935 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Ferguson by 3.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,541,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $905,230,000 after purchasing an additional 161,662 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,197,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $633,409,000 after purchasing an additional 25,677 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 6.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,371,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,858,000 after purchasing an additional 133,769 shares during the period. Finally, Cantillon Capital Management LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $366,523,000 after buying an additional 415,002 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $157.54 on Wednesday. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $154.09 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $176.90 and its 200 day moving average is $191.11. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $31.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.91, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. Ferguson’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.74 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.73.

Ferguson Company 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.