Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 26.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 33,508 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,997 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $7,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Financial Advocates Investment Management boosted its position in Ferguson by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 1,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Weil Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Weil Company Inc. now owns 4,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $835,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC raised its position in Ferguson by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 10,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,032,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.6% in the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 16,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,688,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $193.65 on Monday. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $147.62 and a 1 year high of $224.86. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $207.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $203.27. The company has a market capitalization of $39.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.43, a PEG ratio of 8.08 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 4th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $7.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.32 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.89% and a net margin of 6.33%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 34.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FERG. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $217.00 to $211.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. Barclays dropped their price target on Ferguson from $236.00 to $232.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.50.

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.