Vanguard Group Inc. Has $4.32 Billion Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in Ferguson by 0.5% to 19,418,334 shares, owning a 9.93% position valued at about $4.323 billion per its latest 13F filing.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $267.27, while several firms (Barclays, UBS, Truist, Weiss) recently raised ratings or price targets.
• Ferguson announced a quarterly dividend of $0.89 (annualized $3.56, ~1.3% yield, ~36% payout ratio) and last reported quarterly EPS of $1.99, which missed estimates despite revenue rising 3.6% year-over-year.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,418,334 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 102,850 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.93% of Ferguson worth $4,323,104,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 178.3% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 154.4% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ferguson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ferguson from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $267.27.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG stock opened at $264.28 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $51.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.21. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $165.10 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $243.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $243.29.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a return on equity of 40.37% and a net margin of 6.93%.The firm's revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.96%.

Ferguson Profile

Ferguson NYSE: FERG is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.

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