Achmea Investment Management B.V. Cuts Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. cut its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 39.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,561 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,192 shares during the quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $6,500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. LGT Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 247.4% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 198 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 166.7% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Ferguson by 92.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Ferguson by 259.3% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 291 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $190.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. 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 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $221.27.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.3%

Ferguson stock opened at $217.67 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $190.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.48. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The stock has a market cap of $42.92 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. 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 (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.44. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. Ferguson's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.40%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.