2,987 Shares in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Purchased by OneAscent Investment Solutions LLC

Key Points

• OneAscent Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson plc, buying 2,987 shares valued at approximately $479,000, as per its recent SEC filing.
• Several hedge funds have also adjusted their positions in Ferguson, indicating strong institutional interest with 81.98% of the stock currently owned by institutional investors.
• Ferguson reported an earnings per share of $2.50 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and the company has declared a $0.83 quarterly dividend with a yield of 1.4%.

OneAscent Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $479,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,168,743 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,071,408,000 after acquiring an additional 806,718 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Ferguson by 24.5% during the 1st 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 acquiring an additional 1,506,024 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Ferguson by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,818,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,092,576,000 after acquiring an additional 827,355 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,935,419 shares of the company's stock worth $856,746,000 after purchasing an additional 62,887 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 29.6% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,635,707 shares of the company's stock worth $582,452,000 after purchasing an additional 831,112 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on FERG shares. Barclays raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. Berenberg Bank reissued a "hold" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $220.64.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of FERG stock traded up $3.69 on Friday, reaching $231.71. 1,686,819 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,723,971. The stock has a market cap of $45.69 billion, a PE ratio of 27.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.16. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $232.11. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $220.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.48.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 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%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 20th were issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 20th. Ferguson's payout ratio is 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.