Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey Grows Stake in Ferguson plc $FERG

Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,419 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $6,406,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 145.3% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 51.5% in the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 103.6% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 226 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 230.8% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of FERG stock opened at $242.38 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $256.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $236.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.50 billion, a PE ratio of 25.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.18.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $8.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.21% and a net margin of 6.03%.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 26th were paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 26th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.55%.

Insider Activity

In other Ferguson news, insider Kevin Michael Murphy sold 8,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.13, for a total transaction of $2,060,344.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 159,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,444,645.03. This represents a 5.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO William Brundage sold 3,000 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total transaction of $699,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,279,864.92. This trade represents a 5.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 29,264 shares of company stock worth $6,853,349. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Ferguson to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Vertical Research initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $291.99 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Ferguson from $260.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.75.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.