Capula Management Ltd Takes Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Capula Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 30,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,105,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $886,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $697,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE FERG opened at $228.66 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $44.34 billion, a PE ratio of 26.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.13. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $207.64 and a one year high of $271.64. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $229.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.52.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.14. The firm 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%.The business’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.50 EPS. Analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, May 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 41.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $315.00 to $265.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Barclays upped their target price on Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.21.

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.