Cantillon Capital Management LLC Acquires 415,002 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Cantillon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 24.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,111,673 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 415,002 shares during the quarter. Ferguson comprises about 2.2% of Cantillon Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Cantillon Capital Management LLC owned approximately 1.06% of Ferguson worth $366,523,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,952 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,137,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Commerce Bank raised its holdings in Ferguson by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $177.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $193.26. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $167.27 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The firm has a market cap of $35.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.24.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 39.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.73.

About Ferguson

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.