8,684 Shares in Ferguson plc $FERG Purchased by Carmignac Gestion

Key Points

• Carmignac Gestion acquired 8,684 shares of Ferguson plc worth approximately $1.39 million in the first quarter of the year.
• Ferguson has seen significant investments from various institutional investors, with total institutional ownership now at 81.98% of the company's stock.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $2.50, exceeding analyst estimates, and declared a $0.83 quarterly dividend with a yield of 1.4%.

Carmignac Gestion purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 8,684 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,391,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. LGT Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in Ferguson by 247.4% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 56.5% in the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 205 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 166.7% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in Ferguson by 103.6% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 226 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG traded up $4.1880 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $233.2480. The company had a trading volume of 1,664,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,703,642. The company has a market capitalization of $45.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.16. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $238.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $222.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.14.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.44. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th were given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 20th. Ferguson's payout ratio is presently 41.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Barclays raised their target price on Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ferguson from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. UBS Group raised their target price on Ferguson from $173.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $220.64.

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.