Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Purchases 181,216 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 816.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 203,416 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 181,216 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $40,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $213.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.93, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.20. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $166.21 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $201.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $202.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $378,696.04. This trade represents a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total value of $295,361.60. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,047,246. This represents a 22.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

About Ferguson

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.