Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Acquired by Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.

Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,091 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the period. Ferguson accounts for 1.9% of Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $4,844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Panagora Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $511,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 491.4% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 220,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,569,000 after acquiring an additional 183,199 shares during the period. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 18.7% in the second quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,069,000 after buying an additional 2,076 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,341,000. Finally, UBS Group AG grew its position in Ferguson by 174.2% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 104,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,137,000 after buying an additional 66,197 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FERG traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $219.20. The stock had a trading volume of 145,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,116,999. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.46, a PEG ratio of 9.16 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $123.17 and a 1-year high of $222.39. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $201.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $180.71.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.82 by ($0.08). Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.99% and a net margin of 6.00%. The business had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.91 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James lowered shares of Ferguson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ferguson from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $166.50.

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.