GW&K Investment Management LLC Has $31.73 Million Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 14.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 197,999 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,984 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Ferguson worth $31,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the first quarter worth $1,651,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in Ferguson by 29.6% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,635,707 shares of the company's stock worth $582,452,000 after acquiring an additional 831,112 shares during the last quarter. C WorldWide Group Holding A S lifted its position in Ferguson by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. C WorldWide Group Holding A S now owns 255,842 shares of the company's stock worth $40,994,000 after acquiring an additional 854 shares during the last quarter. Saturna Capital Corp lifted its position in Ferguson by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 237,833 shares of the company's stock worth $38,108,000 after acquiring an additional 815 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Markel Group Inc. lifted its position in Ferguson by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 123,000 shares of the company's stock worth $19,708,000 after acquiring an additional 17,000 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ FERG traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $223.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 297,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,787,978. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $209.40 and a 200 day moving average of $184.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.80, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $227.73. 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 quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. Ferguson's payout ratio is 41.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $173.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 target price on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.