Boston Common Asset Management LLC Sells 4,966 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC reduced its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 73.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,823 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,966 shares during the period. Boston Common Asset Management LLC's holdings in Ferguson were worth $292,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the first quarter worth approximately $2,375,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 259.3% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 291 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 111 Capital bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $492,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth $372,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $85,343,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of FERG stock traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $182.43. The company had a trading volume of 2,856,524 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,626,746. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $169.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.07. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $225.63. The company has a market cap of $36.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.74 earnings per share. Ferguson's revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. Ferguson's payout ratio is currently 40.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on FERG. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $189.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $204.00 price target on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $200.15.

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.