Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Has $28.77 Million Stock Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 23.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 129,213 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 24,528 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $28,767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. M&T Bank Corp raised its position in Ferguson by 281.7% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 24,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,534,000 after buying an additional 18,346 shares during the period. Comerica Bank raised its position in Ferguson by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 5,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,321,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in Ferguson by 89.6% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 30,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,898,000 after buying an additional 14,644 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 1,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FERG opened at $256.07 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $243.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $243.56. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $165.10 and a twelve month high of $271.64. The company has a market cap of $49.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.87, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $267.27.

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.