C WorldWide Group Holding A S Has $12.30 Million Stake in Ferguson plc $FERG

C WorldWide Group Holding A S lessened its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 59.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,738 shares of the company’s stock after selling 77,024 shares during the period. C WorldWide Group Holding A S’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $12,302,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,418,334 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,323,104,000 after purchasing an additional 102,850 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Ferguson by 150.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,366,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,085,256,000 after purchasing an additional 5,631,554 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 5,981,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,331,621,000 after purchasing an additional 434,650 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Ferguson by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,516,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,005,567,000 after buying an additional 79,296 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,393,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $977,959,000 after buying an additional 25,785 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:FERG opened at $233.76 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $207.64 and a 12-month high of $271.64. The business has a 50 day moving average of $230.54 and a 200-day moving average of $240.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $45.34 billion, a PE ratio of 27.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.13.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $7.47 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.98% and a return on equity of 38.81%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, May 5th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on FERG shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ferguson from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.61.

Ferguson Company 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.