Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,127 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $4,026,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 9.8% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 183,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,438,000 after purchasing an additional 16,339 shares during the period. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the first quarter valued at approximately $706,000. AXS Investments LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 16.6% in the first quarter. AXS Investments LLC now owns 7,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,193,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 4.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,168,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,071,408,000 after acquiring an additional 806,718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 15.9% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,989,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,088,000 after acquiring an additional 411,088 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $228.40 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $230.38. The company has a market cap of $45.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.42, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $220.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $189.07.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 EPS 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%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.32 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th were given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 41.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on FERG. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ferguson from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Berenberg Bank restated a “hold” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ferguson from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up previously from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.64.

About Ferguson

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.