WINTON GROUP Ltd Purchases 64,748 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

WINTON GROUP Ltd boosted its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 1,488.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,098 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 64,748 shares during the period. Ferguson accounts for about 0.5% of WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $15,383,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Ferguson in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 178.3% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on FERG shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.64.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $229.14 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $44.44 billion, a PE ratio of 26.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.15. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $207.64 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $241.02 and a 200-day moving average of $241.33.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $7.47 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 38.81% and a net margin of 6.98%.Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.40%.

Ferguson announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, May 5th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Ferguson Profile

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.