Thematics Asset Management Takes $11.99 Million Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Thematics Asset Management has invested approximately $11.99 million in Ferguson plc by acquiring 74,804 shares in the first quarter.
• Ferguson recently reported an EPS of $2.50 for the last quarter, surpassing estimates, with a revenue increase of 4.3% year-over-year.
• Analysts have a consensus price target of $220.64 for Ferguson, with ten analysts rating the stock as a Buy.

Thematics Asset Management bought a new position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 74,804 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,986,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 4.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,168,743 shares of the company's stock worth $3,071,408,000 after purchasing an additional 806,718 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 24.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,660,299 shares of the company's stock worth $1,227,410,000 after buying an additional 1,506,024 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,818,800 shares of the company's stock worth $1,092,576,000 after buying an additional 827,355 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Ferguson by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,935,419 shares of the company's stock valued at $856,746,000 after acquiring an additional 62,887 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Ferguson by 65.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,454,467 shares of the company's stock worth $713,740,000 after acquiring an additional 1,755,464 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $173.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $220.64.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.5%

FERG traded down $1.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $233.95. 778,800 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,685,155. The company's fifty day moving average price is $223.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $192.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.13 billion, a PE ratio of 28.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.16. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $238.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68.

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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson 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.