Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Acquires 26,936 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 401.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 33,641 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,936 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $7,555,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter valued at approximately $395,401,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Ferguson by 39.3% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,255,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,830,000 after buying an additional 1,201,493 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $130,650,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its stake in Ferguson by 89.5% during the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 759,687 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,422,000 after buying an additional 358,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, C WorldWide Group Holding A S boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 108.8% in the third quarter. C WorldWide Group Holding A S now owns 535,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,232,000 after acquiring an additional 278,971 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of FERG stock opened at $251.31 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $271.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $244.27 and its 200 day moving average is $239.18.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $8.17 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.Ferguson’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.45 earnings per share.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on FERG. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

About Ferguson

Ferguson (NYSE: FERG) is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.