Savant Capital LLC Acquires 2,733 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 17.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,535 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,733 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $4,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 145.3% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 178.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 51.5% during the 2nd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. raised its stake in Ferguson by 61.3% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 242 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of FERG stock opened at $262.77 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $239.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.27. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $263.34. The stock has a market cap of $51.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.54, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

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 firm had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.45 EPS.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Celebrity interviews and human-interest items about Rebecca Ferguson — entertainment coverage with no connection to Ferguson plc; negligible impact on the stock. Rebecca Ferguson opens up
• Neutral Sentiment: Reporting on Rebecca Ferguson describing an on-set incident — celebrity press, no corporate relevance to FERG. Rebecca Ferguson on on-set incident
• Neutral Sentiment: Local reporting that the city of Ferguson is seeing a downward trend in crime — municipal news, not related to the UK/US industrial distributor Ferguson plc. Ferguson facing downward trend in crime
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple tabloid/coverage items concerning Sarah Ferguson and recent Epstein-file revelations — these stories could generate short-term name-recognition noise or media confusion for investors seeing the “Ferguson” name, but they do not relate to Ferguson plc’s operations, earnings or financial outlook. Expect negligible fundamental impact unless headlines cause measurable brand confusion in investor communications. PR expert says this move would be “career suicide” Sarah Ferguson has a ‘housing crisis’ Sarah Ferguson Done Protecting Ex-Prince Andrew Key revelations about Sarah Ferguson in Epstein files

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on FERG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Vertical Research began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $291.99 target price for the company. UBS Group cut their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

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.