Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Has $9.39 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC raised its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 74.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,589 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,021 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Ferguson were worth $9,388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Ferguson by 247.4% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 198 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 166.7% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted 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 valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. LGT Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the first quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG traded down $4.12 during trading on Thursday, hitting $223.60. The company had a trading volume of 464,001 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,791,827. The company has a market cap of $44.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.85, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $227.73. The business's 50-day moving average is $208.57 and its 200 day moving average is $183.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on FERG. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $189.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.