Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lessened its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 6.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,833 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,629 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $4,769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Ferguson by 589.0% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,619,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $353,778,000 after purchasing an additional 1,384,570 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in Ferguson by 174.9% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 233,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,952,000 after purchasing an additional 148,415 shares during the period. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 1st quarter worth approximately $104,723,000. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 1st quarter worth approximately $603,000. Finally, Saturna Capital Corp grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 621.7% in the 1st quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 145,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,759,000 after acquiring an additional 125,250 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock traded down $0.24 on Monday, reaching $218.30. The company had a trading volume of 534,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,137,056. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $147.62 and a 1 year high of $224.86. The company has a market cap of $44.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.05, a PEG ratio of 9.12 and a beta of 1.22. The company’s fifty day moving average is $201.92 and its 200 day moving average is $204.99. 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. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.89% and a net margin of 6.33%. The company had revenue of $7.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays lowered their price target on Ferguson from $232.00 to $229.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Ferguson from $217.00 to $211.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $230.00.

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.