Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Bought by Markel Group Inc.

Markel Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 16.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 123,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,000 shares during the quarter. Markel Group Inc. owned about 0.06% of Ferguson worth $19,708,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Mission Wealth Management LP grew its stake in Ferguson by 2.2% during the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 3,050 shares of the company's stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. James Hambro & Partners LLP grew its stake in Ferguson by 1.1% during the first quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 6,311 shares of the company's stock worth $1,011,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the company's stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 56.5% during the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 205 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 6.5% during the first quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,284 shares of the company's stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $220.00 price objective (up from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $220.64.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.7%

FERG traded up $3.73 during trading on Friday, hitting $222.57. The company had a trading volume of 1,536,987 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,678,840. The company has a market cap of $43.89 billion, a PE ratio of 26.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average of $205.75 and a 200-day moving average of $182.71. 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 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $226.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share 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 $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio 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.