Candriam S.C.A. Has $10.28 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in Ferguson plc by 8.5%, holding 64,177 shares worth approximately $10.28 million after selling 5,925 shares.
• Ferguson reported quarterly earnings of $2.50 per share, surpassing estimates, while also showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 4.3%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.4% and a payout ratio of 41.40%.

Candriam S.C.A. trimmed its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 8.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,177 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,925 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $10,281,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,168,743 shares of the company's stock worth $3,071,408,000 after buying an additional 806,718 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 24.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,660,299 shares of the company's stock worth $1,227,410,000 after buying an additional 1,506,024 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,818,800 shares of the company's stock worth $1,092,576,000 after buying an additional 827,355 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,935,419 shares of the company's stock worth $856,746,000 after buying an additional 62,887 shares in the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 101.1% during the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,165,873 shares of the company's stock worth $667,498,000 after buying an additional 2,094,029 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.6%

FERG traded down $1.3030 on Monday, reaching $232.3170. 665,141 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,697,192. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $222.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.26. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $146.00 and a 52-week high of $238.16. The company has a market cap of $45.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.89, a PEG 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. Ferguson's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th were paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 41.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. UBS Group boosted their target price 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 boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $220.64.

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.