Blue Trust Inc. Raises Stock Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 995.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,895 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,722 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $367,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in FERG. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 60.0% in the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 1st quarter valued at about $47,000. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Ferguson by 35.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG traded down $3.90 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $206.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 596,172 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,132,237. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $41.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52, a P/E/G ratio of 6.13 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $202.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $206.61. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $147.62 and a 52 week high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 4th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $7.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.32 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.33% and a return on equity of 36.89%. Ferguson’s revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.20 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.