Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Bought by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,008 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 687 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,590,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of FERG. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Ferguson by 375.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,289,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,218,032,000 after buying an additional 4,966,821 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 423.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,462,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,183,143 shares during the period. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 133.3% in the third quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,999,000 after acquiring an additional 400,000 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $63,420,000. Finally, Waverton Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 61.0% during the second quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 812,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,293,000 after acquiring an additional 308,138 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $214.10 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $201.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $202.40. The company has a market cap of $42.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.21. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $167.09 and a 12 month high of $225.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.01 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.77 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In other news, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total value of $295,361.60. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,205 shares in the company, valued at $1,047,246. This represents a 22.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total transaction of $1,162,938.06. Following the sale, the insider now owns 5,938 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,195,141.26. This represents a 49.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.38.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.