Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 22,246 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc reduced its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 18.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 101,392 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,246 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.05% of Ferguson worth $17,599,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,281,000 after buying an additional 377,283 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $342,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $694,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company's stock worth $4,506,000 after purchasing an additional 5,534 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $171.24 on Monday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $163.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.98. The firm has a market cap of $34.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.74 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $204.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $189.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.38.

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.

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