Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. Sells 33,092 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. lessened its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 35.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,517 shares of the company's stock after selling 33,092 shares during the period. Ferguson comprises about 2.5% of Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $9,536,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 18.2% during the fourth 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. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,991,445 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,039,935,000 after acquiring an additional 1,231,120 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.3% during 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. Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $613,944,000 after acquiring an additional 3,198,477 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,215,657 shares of the company's stock worth $557,082,000 after purchasing an additional 18,036 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $190.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $221.27.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ FERG traded up $1.88 on Thursday, hitting $223.28. 735,044 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,671,281. The company's 50 day moving average price is $193.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.32 EPS. Analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is 41.40%.

Ferguson Company 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.