Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG reduced its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 16.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 543,281 shares of the company's stock after selling 103,967 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.27% of Ferguson worth $94,297,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the company's stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in Ferguson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company's stock worth $1,109,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,137,000 after acquiring an additional 86 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 valued at $610,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 41.1% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $171.24 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. 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 plc has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $163.79 and a 200-day moving average of $179.98.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $204.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $189.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $199.38.

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.

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