Stephens Inc. AR Acquires 527 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 45.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,692 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $271,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FERG. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 247.4% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 166.7% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 56.5% in the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 205 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 106.3% in the 4th quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 259.3% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 291 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG opened at $222.57 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market cap of $43.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s 50 day moving average is $205.75 and its 200 day moving average is $182.84. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $226.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.44. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.32 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 20th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $220.00 price objective (up from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.64.

Ferguson 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.