Impax Asset Management Group plc Sells 1,268 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Impax Asset Management Group plc trimmed its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,613 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,268 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings in Ferguson were worth $10,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Ferguson by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,335 shares of the company's stock worth $1,273,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,096 shares of the company's stock worth $190,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 53.9% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 778,737 shares of the company's stock valued at $135,247,000 after purchasing an additional 52,776 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 price target (up from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, June 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ferguson from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. 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 research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $221.27.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG traded up $1.76 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $223.16. The stock had a trading volume of 1,075,399 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,678,329. The company's fifty day moving average is $195.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.63. 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 plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.44. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. Ferguson's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.32 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Ferguson's payout ratio is presently 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.