Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Trims Stock Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH cut its holdings in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 21.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 386,734 shares of the company’s stock after selling 108,485 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $86,853,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 145.3% in the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 51.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 230.8% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on FERG. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ferguson from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.00.

Ferguson Trading Down 2.5%

NYSE:FERG opened at $242.81 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.53, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.18. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $256.93. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $236.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.39.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.45 EPS.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 35.96%.

About Ferguson

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.