Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Purchases 15,108 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 47.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 46,767 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,108 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $7,493,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 88.2% during the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the company's stock worth $1,144,000 after acquiring an additional 3,089 shares during the last quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $6,873,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $408,000. Sabal Trust CO acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,362,000. Finally, Robeco Schweiz AG boosted its stake in Ferguson by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 547,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,988,000 after buying an additional 26,979 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ferguson from $190.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Barclays lifted their price target on Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $221.27.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ FERG traded down $0.57 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $217.67. 2,431,176 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,666,290. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $190.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $178.38. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $225.63. The company has a market cap of $42.92 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. 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 quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.32 earnings per share. Ferguson's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.40%.

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.