Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 491,676 Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 491,676 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $85,343,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.25% of Ferguson as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of FERG. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the company's stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company's stock worth $1,109,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company's stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Ferguson by 41.1% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, LGT Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $204.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $200.15.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG traded up $0.87 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $183.34. 1,112,080 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,622,601. 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 capitalization of $36.66 billion, a PE ratio of 22.01, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The company's 50 day moving average price is $168.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $178.41.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.84%.

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.