Marshall Wace LLP Has $368,000 Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Marshall Wace LLP decreased its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 95.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 41,135 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OneAscent Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC now owns 2,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 3.6% during the first quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.8% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $412,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of FERG opened at $198.09 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $200.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $205.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.20. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $147.62 and a 12-month high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.85%. Ferguson’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.77 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 34.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on FERG. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.57.

Ferguson 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.