Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 8,758 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 150,043 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,758 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.08% of Ferguson worth $26,043,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,359,000 after purchasing an additional 7,862 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $702,000. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $678,000. Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 3.8% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $248,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.5 %

FERG stock opened at $163.83 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $152.52 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The stock has a market cap of $32.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $175.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $189.05. 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 (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.74 EPS. Ferguson’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 40.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price on the stock. Zelman & Associates cut shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup cut 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. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.67.

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.