Raiffeisen Bank International AG Has $116.38 Million Stock Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 350,745.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 522,759 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 522,610 shares during the quarter. Ferguson comprises approximately 1.5% of Raiffeisen Bank International AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Raiffeisen Bank International AG owned 0.27% of Ferguson worth $116,382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Ferguson by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,418,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,323,104,000 after purchasing an additional 102,850 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Ferguson by 1.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,437,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,000,152,000 after purchasing an additional 81,094 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Ferguson by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,393,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $977,959,000 after purchasing an additional 25,785 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 22.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,734,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $838,786,000 after buying an additional 682,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% in the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,705,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $806,776,000 after buying an additional 100,559 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FERG opened at $227.40 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $207.64 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $241.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $241.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.78. The firm has a market cap of $44.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.15.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.26 earnings per share for the current 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. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.40%.

Ferguson declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, May 5th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 3.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.77.

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.