JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has $285.77 Million Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 15.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,646,437 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 225,987 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.82% of Ferguson worth $285,772,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 906.7% in 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. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 1,350.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $160.63 on Monday. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $152.52 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The company has a market capitalization of $32.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted 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 firm 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%. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on FERG. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Barclays cut their price objective on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.67.

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.