Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec cut its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 97.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,558 shares of the company's stock after selling 546,368 shares during the quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec's holdings in Ferguson were worth $2,527,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 778,737 shares of the company's stock worth $135,247,000 after acquiring an additional 52,776 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth about $587,000. Clean Yield Group boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,506,000 after buying an additional 5,534 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 106,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,398,000 after buying an additional 21,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 6.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,371,954 shares of the company's stock worth $477,858,000 after buying an additional 133,769 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FERG traded down $0.58 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $168.08. The company had a trading volume of 1,780,122 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,596,732. The firm has a market cap of $33.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The business's 50 day moving average price is $163.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st were paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on FERG shares. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $193.00 price target (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ferguson from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on Ferguson and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $199.38.

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.