Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Purchases Shares of 9,940 Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired approximately $1.59 million worth of shares in Ferguson plc, purchasing 9,940 shares in the first quarter.
• Ferguson plc's stock has received several upgrades, with target prices raised by analysts including JPMorgan and Barclays, reflecting a consensus target price of $220.64.
• The company has recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83, representing an annual yield of 1.47% with a payout ratio of 41.40%.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 9,940 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,593,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 208.8% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,678,880 shares of the company's stock worth $464,973,000 after acquiring an additional 1,811,287 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,007,892 shares of the company's stock worth $1,740,049,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,889 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 24.5% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,660,299 shares of the company's stock worth $1,227,410,000 after acquiring an additional 1,506,024 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,991,445 shares of the company's stock worth $1,039,935,000 after acquiring an additional 1,231,120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 94.6% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,402,527 shares of the company's stock worth $384,957,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167,751 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG stock traded down $1.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $221.89. 1,212,371 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,767,123. 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 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $228.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $214.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.75 billion, a PE ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.44. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.32 earnings per share. Ferguson's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is 41.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reissued a "hold" rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $220.64.

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.