Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac Takes $3.85 Million Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 15,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,846,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 29,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,456,000 after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $180,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 58,499 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,047,000 after buying an additional 866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 8,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,974,000 after purchasing an additional 1,739 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on FERG shares. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings lowered Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.73.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $226.58 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $240.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $242.18. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $177.75 and a twelve month high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $7.47 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 38.81% and a net margin of 6.98%.Ferguson’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.40%.

Ferguson declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, May 5th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 3.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Recent headlines centered on Sarah Ferguson’s reported ties to a scrapped NBC talk show deal, alleged personal scandals, and biographical claims about Princess Diana; these stories are unrelated to Ferguson plc’s fundamentals and are unlikely to materially affect the stock. Sarah Ferguson’s Actions Scrapped Major NBC Talk Show Deal — Source
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage about Sarah Ferguson’s “chaotic” royal household and a rumored relationship with Sean “Diddy” Combs is celebrity/royal gossip, not company-specific news for Ferguson plc. How Sarah Ferguson’s ‘chaotic’ parenting squandered her talk show dreams with NBC
• Neutral Sentiment: Other articles reference Sarah Ferguson’s relationship with Prince Andrew and past disputes with Princess Diana, which do not provide any direct operational or financial catalyst for Ferguson plc shares. Sarah Ferguson doesn’t want to leave ex-husband former Prince Andrew ‘high and dry’ after scandals, claims expert

About Ferguson

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.