Saturna Capital Corp Increases Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

Saturna Capital Corp increased its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 0.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 238,178 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the quarter. Saturna Capital Corp’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $51,863,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 145.3% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 51.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 103.6% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 226 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Ferguson by 230.8% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new stake in Ferguson in the second quarter worth about $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ferguson news, CFO William Brundage sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The stock was 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 $12,279,864.92. This represents a 5.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Kevin Michael Murphy sold 8,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.13, for a total value of $2,060,344.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 159,931 shares in the company, valued at $37,444,645.03. This trade represents a 5.22% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 29,264 shares of company stock valued at $6,853,349 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $236.34 on Wednesday. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $236.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.18. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $256.93.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ferguson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Ferguson from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Ferguson from $231.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Vertical Research assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $291.99 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $243.75.

Ferguson 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.