World Investment Advisors Acquires 7,125 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 450.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,708 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,125 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Ferguson were worth $2,031,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $886,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 431 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ferguson from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays upped their target price on Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.61.

Ferguson Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE FERG traded down $6.00 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $222.91. The stock had a trading volume of 463,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,382,070. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $207.64 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $43.23 billion, a PE ratio of 25.82, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $235.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.34.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.14. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.98% and a return on equity of 38.81%. The company had revenue of $7.47 billion for the quarter. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.26 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.40%.

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

Ferguson 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.