Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC Sells 263 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,952 shares of the company’s stock after selling 263 shares during the quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $512,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 906.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. LGT Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased 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 valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $181.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $36.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $179.69. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on FERG. Barclays reduced 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. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $174.00 target price on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.38.

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.