Machina Capital S.A.S. Takes Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Key Points

• Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased 3,130 shares of Ferguson plc, valued at approximately $502,000, indicating growing interest from institutional investors.
• The stock currently holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target average of $220.64, following several analysts’ upgrades in target prices.
• Ferguson recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.48% with plans to pay on August 6th.

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,130 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $502,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. LGT Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 247.4% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 56.5% in the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 205 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 166.7% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the first quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on FERG. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price target for the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Ferguson from $173.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $189.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $220.64.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.1%

FERG stock traded up $2.53 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $226.60. 301,232 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,783,111. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $146.00 and a 52-week high of $227.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The business has a 50 day moving average of $210.19 and a 200-day moving average of $184.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.17, 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 (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%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.