Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Increases Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 5.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 76,117 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,599 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $12,196,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $135,247,000 after buying an additional 52,776 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $587,000. Markel Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 25.4% in the 4th 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 period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 19,616.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 573,143 shares of the company's stock valued at $91,835,000 after buying an additional 570,236 shares during the period. Finally, Wolf Group Capital Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 1st quarter valued at about $261,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on FERG. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ferguson from $190.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ferguson from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Ferguson and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $221.27.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock traded down $0.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $217.67. 2,431,176 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,665,479. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $225.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The company has a market capitalization of $42.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 EPS 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%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.32 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%. Ferguson's payout ratio is currently 41.40%.

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.