Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Sold by Boston Partners

Boston Partners decreased its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 98.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,393 shares of the company's stock after selling 540,372 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners' holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Ferguson by 247.4% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 166.7% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 56.5% in the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 205 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the first quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $173.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $220.64.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG traded up $4.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $233.52. The stock had a trading volume of 1,216,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,700,481. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $46.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.04, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.16. The company's 50-day moving average price is $222.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $190.77. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $238.16.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th were given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. 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.