Perpetual Ltd Increases Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Perpetual Ltd boosted its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 462.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 268,897 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 221,069 shares during the quarter. Perpetual Ltd owned 0.13% of Ferguson worth $43,085,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mission Wealth Management LP lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.2% in the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 3,050 shares of the company's stock valued at $489,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP raised its stake in Ferguson by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 6,311 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the company's stock valued at $211,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Ferguson by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $218.32 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $146.00 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market cap of $43.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a fifty day moving average of $188.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.33.

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, 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on FERG. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $173.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, June 9th. Berenberg Bank reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $221.27.

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.

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