American Century Companies Inc. Sells 21,536 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

American Century Companies Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 278,384 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,536 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $48,326,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 906.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Zelman & Associates cut shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 target price (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.67.

Ferguson Price Performance

Ferguson stock opened at $164.63 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.76, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $174.47 and its 200-day moving average is $188.06. 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 $152.52 and a 12 month high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.74 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

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.