AdvisorShares Investments LLC Invests $58,000 in Ferguson plc $FERG

AdvisorShares Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Untitled Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter worth approximately $5,953,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,932,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,718,000 after acquiring an additional 205,531 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Ferguson by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $928,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 96.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 29,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,687,000 after acquiring an additional 14,338 shares during the period. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the 1st quarter worth $843,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Ferguson from $247.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ferguson from $204.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Ferguson from $260.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Zacks Research upgraded Ferguson to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Vertical Research assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, October 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $291.99 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $240.80.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In related news, insider Ian T. Graham sold 606 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.33, for a total transaction of $145,033.98. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,714 shares in the company, valued at $1,846,191.62. The trade was a 7.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,034 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.70, for a total value of $240,611.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,458 shares in the company, valued at $339,276.60. This represents a 41.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,264 shares of company stock worth $6,853,349. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $248.59 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.81. The firm has a market cap of $48.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $252.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.68.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.55%.

Ferguson Company 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.