Empower Advisory Group LLC Purchases Shares of 5,261 Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Key Points

• Empower Advisory Group LLC purchased 5,261 shares of Ferguson plc, valued at approximately $843,000, in its first quarter filing with the SEC.
• Ferguson reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.50, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.06, with a return on equity of 34.63%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.5%.

Empower Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 5,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $843,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Ferguson by 247.4% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 198 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 166.7% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 56.5% during the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 205 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. LGT Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 1st quarter worth about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $223.14 on Thursday. The business's 50 day moving average is $217.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.26. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $146.00 and a 52-week high of $228.80. The firm has a market cap of $44.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.16. 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 (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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.44. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.32 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th were given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 20th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ferguson from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Barclays boosted their target price on Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $220.00 target price (up previously from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, June 9th. Six equities 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.com, the company currently 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.

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