Royal Bank of Canada Boosts Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 840,722 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,714 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.42% of Ferguson worth $145,924,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 76.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company's stock worth $172,281,000 after buying an additional 377,283 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in Ferguson by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,524 shares of the company's stock valued at $959,000 after purchasing an additional 804 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $283,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its position in Ferguson by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 1,955 shares of the company's stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. bought a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG traded down $1.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $178.19. The stock had a trading volume of 1,551,032 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,626,201. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $167.24 and a 200-day moving average of $178.77. 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 company has a market capitalization of $35.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FERG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $189.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $204.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $199.38.

About Ferguson

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.