Great Lakes Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 70.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 40,937 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,956 shares during the quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $7,904,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 146.1% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the third quarter worth about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of FERG stock traded down $1.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $210.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,120,686 shares, compared to its average volume of 869,725. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $142.27 and a 1-year high of $224.86. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $215.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $195.39. The company has a market capitalization of $42.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.50, a P/E/G ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.99% and a net margin of 6.00%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.74%.

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.