Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Buys 356 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 14.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,766 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $480,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 906.7% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Bank of America upgraded Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Zelman & Associates cut Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.64.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG stock opened at $162.62 on Wednesday. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $152.52 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market cap of $32.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s fifty day moving average is $175.48 and its 200-day moving average is $189.40.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.84%.

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.