Capital World Investors Has $118.67 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 40.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 683,678 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 197,084 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors owned 0.34% of Ferguson worth $118,666,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its stake in Ferguson by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,109,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company's stock worth $4,137,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company's stock worth $610,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Ferguson by 41.1% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 3,001 shares of the company's stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Stock Up 3.9 %

FERG stock traded up $6.30 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $169.49. 1,851,457 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,578,835. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $165.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $182.64. The firm has a market cap of $33.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.74 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $204.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.38.

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.