Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 11,533 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 0.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,751,929 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,533 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $408,534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 23.9% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,445,000 after buying an additional 2,940 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in Ferguson during the 1st quarter worth $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 22.7% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock worth $503,000 after buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter worth $257,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 7.5% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $226.28 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $229.80 and its 200 day moving average is $240.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.88 billion, a PE ratio of 26.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.13. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $207.64 and a 1 year 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.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.14. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.98% and a return on equity of 38.81%. The business had revenue of $7.47 billion during the quarter. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.50 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, May 5th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 41.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays lifted their price objective 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. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ferguson from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.21.

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.