Rokos Capital Management LLP Takes $10.72 Million Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Rokos Capital Management LLP purchased a new position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 49,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,721,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Untitled Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $5,953,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 11.9% during the first 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 purchasing an additional 205,531 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 96.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 29,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,687,000 after buying an additional 14,338 shares during the last quarter. Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 1st quarter valued at about $299,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 68.9% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 239,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,230,000 after buying an additional 97,791 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $231.33 on Thursday. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $256.93. The firm has a market cap of $45.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.37, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $242.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $8.17 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 36.42%. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.45 earnings per share.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Ferguson from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ferguson news, SVP Jake Schlicher sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.52, for a total value of $700,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $2,720,741.52. This represents a 20.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO William Brundage sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total value of $699,960.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,279,864.92. The trade was a 5.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,264 shares of company stock valued at $6,853,349. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ferguson 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.