Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $1.31 Million Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 25.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,188 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,645 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,312,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parnassus Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 944.4% during the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 3,537,155 shares of the company's stock worth $613,944,000 after purchasing an additional 3,198,477 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $469,730,000. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 208.8% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,678,880 shares of the company's stock worth $464,973,000 after purchasing an additional 1,811,287 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,007,892 shares of the company's stock worth $1,740,049,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539,889 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $239,539,000. 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. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Barclays upped their price target on Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ferguson from $190.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $221.27.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of FERG traded up $1.76 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $223.16. 1,075,399 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,676,862. The company has a market cap of $44.00 billion, a PE ratio of 26.79, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. The firm's 50 day moving average is $194.54 and its 200-day moving average is $179.35. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $225.63. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.44. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.32 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.