Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Purchases 29,976 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 1,873.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,576 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 29,976 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt's holdings in Ferguson were worth $5,059,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Financial Advocates Investment Management acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth about $212,000. Equitable Trust Co. increased its position in Ferguson by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 12,250 shares of the company's stock worth $2,126,000 after purchasing an additional 471 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in Ferguson by 339.9% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,234,776 shares of the company's stock worth $214,320,000 after purchasing an additional 954,092 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 28.1% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 3,801 shares of the company's stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 906.7% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG traded down $1.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $212.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 945,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,655,413. The stock has a market cap of $41.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.49, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $179.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.39. 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 plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Ferguson's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on Ferguson and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Ferguson from $190.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $217.07.

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.