Ferguson plc $FERG Holdings Cut by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lowered its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 33.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,236 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,122 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $886,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $150,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Ferguson Trading Down 1.1%

FERG stock opened at $238.08 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $207.64 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The firm has a market cap of $46.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.15. The business’s 50 day moving average is $238.71 and its 200-day moving average is $240.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

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