MUFG Securities EMEA plc Buys 15,000 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its holdings in Ferguson plc by 34.1%, acquiring an additional 15,000 shares, bringing its total to 58,999 shares valued at approximately $9.45 million.
• Ferguson recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.5% and a payout ratio of 41.40%.
• The stock currently has a market capitalization of $44.08 billion, with a recent PE ratio of 26.83 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc raised its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 34.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,999 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in Ferguson were worth $9,454,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Ferguson by 4.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,168,743 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,071,408,000 after purchasing an additional 806,718 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Ferguson by 24.5% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,660,299 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,227,410,000 after purchasing an additional 1,506,024 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,935,419 shares of the company's stock valued at $856,746,000 after purchasing an additional 62,887 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in Ferguson by 29.6% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,635,707 shares of the company's stock valued at $582,452,000 after buying an additional 831,112 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Ferguson by 15.9% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,989,999 shares of the company's stock valued at $479,088,000 after buying an additional 411,088 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ:FERG traded up $3.54 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $226.16. 775,208 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,730,293. The company has a market capitalization of $44.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.16. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $228.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The business has a 50 day moving average of $219.75 and a 200 day moving average of $188.22.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, June 9th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Ferguson from $173.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Barclays upped their price objective on Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Berenberg Bank restated a "hold" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $220.64.

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.