Ferguson plc $FERG Position Reduced by Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lowered its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 95.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 395 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,530 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $92,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter worth about $1,148,000. Cannon Global Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the first quarter valued at about $700,000. Xcel Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Ferguson by 137.6% in the first quarter. Xcel Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after buying an additional 2,014 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Ferguson by 0.5% in the first quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 38,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,065,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN raised its stake in Ferguson by 5.5% during the first quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 1,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.58.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $238.08 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $46.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.15. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $207.64 and a 12-month high of $271.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $238.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.10.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.14. Ferguson had a return on equity of 38.81% and a net margin of 6.98%.The firm had revenue of $7.47 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. Ferguson’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.26 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 41.40%.

Ferguson declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, May 5th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Ferguson Company Profile

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.