Dudley & Shanley Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Dudley & Shanley Inc. cut its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 7.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 101,125 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,250 shares during the period. Ferguson makes up about 2.6% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Dudley & Shanley Inc. owned about 0.05% of Ferguson worth $16,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ferguson by 906.7% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ferguson by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 92.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 258 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Ferguson by 259.3% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 291 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Ferguson from $189.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $214.50.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.9%

NASDAQ FERG traded down $1.90 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $214.25. The company had a trading volume of 892,211 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,868,535. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $171.41 and a 200 day moving average of $178.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders 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 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.40%.

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.