BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Sells 1,541 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. reduced its stake in Ferguson plc by 5.9%, selling 1,541 shares and ending the quarter with a total of 24,518 shares valued at approximately $3.93 million.
• Ferguson recently reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.50, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.06, with a revenue increase of 4.3% compared to the previous year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83, representing an annualized dividend of $3.32 and a yield of 1.4%, with a payout ratio of 41.40%.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. trimmed its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,518 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,541 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,928,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $269,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,284 shares of the company's stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Ferguson by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,644,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $285,408,000 after buying an additional 103,802 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Ferguson by 40.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 683,678 shares of the company's stock valued at $118,666,000 after buying an additional 197,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 2,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG stock traded up $4.1880 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $233.2480. The stock had a trading volume of 1,664,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,703,642. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $222.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $191.14. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $238.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.99 billion, a PE ratio of 28.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $2.32 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $173.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average 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.