Colonial Trust Co SC Boosts Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Colonial Trust Co SC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,562 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $271,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 778,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,247,000 after purchasing an additional 52,776 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth $587,000. Clean Yield Group lifted its position in Ferguson by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,506,000 after acquiring an additional 5,534 shares during the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ferguson by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 106,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,398,000 after acquiring an additional 21,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth about $694,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.38.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $168.08 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The company has a market cap of $33.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.59.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued 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 company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 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.