Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires 125,121 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 25.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 616,797 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 125,121 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.31% of Ferguson worth $98,829,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,007,892 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,740,049,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,889 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings 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 worth $1,227,410,000 after purchasing an additional 1,506,024 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,991,445 shares of the company's stock worth $1,039,935,000 after acquiring an additional 1,231,120 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 62,887 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted 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 acquiring an additional 831,112 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $220.00 target price (up previously from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Ferguson from $173.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $220.64.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG stock traded up $2.83 on Tuesday, reaching $222.81. The company had a trading volume of 1,444,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,683,378. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.93 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $226.63. The business's 50-day moving average is $205.75 and its 200 day moving average is $182.84.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.44. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 earnings per share. The business'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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.40%.

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.