2,718 Shares in Ferguson plc $FERG Purchased by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $634,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Raiffeisen Bank International AG raised its stake in Ferguson by 350,745.0% in the 4th quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 522,759 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,382,000 after purchasing an additional 522,610 shares during the last quarter. Marsico Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $11,017,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in Ferguson by 68.0% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 82,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,454,000 after purchasing an additional 33,245 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth $891,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 89.6% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 30,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,898,000 after buying an additional 14,644 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Price Performance

Ferguson stock opened at $230.30 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $230.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.32. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $207.64 and a 12-month high of $271.64. The stock has a market cap of $44.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.78, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.13.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its 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. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.98% and a return on equity of 38.81%. The company had revenue of $7.47 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 41.40%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on FERG. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.61.

Ferguson Company 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.