Ferguson plc $FERG Stock Holdings Raised by CX Institutional

CX Institutional increased its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 12,555.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 36,449 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,161 shares during the period. CX Institutional’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $8,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its holdings in Ferguson by 350,745.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 88.5% in the 2nd quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 13,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,229,000 after buying an additional 6,389 shares in the last quarter. Marsico Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth $11,017,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Ferguson by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 96,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,932,000 after buying an additional 11,196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lmcg Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter valued at about $1,806,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:FERG traded up $1.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $223.32. The stock had a trading volume of 1,841,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,707,604. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $43.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.14. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $212.13 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $232.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.66.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 6.82%.The firm had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be given 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 of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total transaction of $1,195,472.84. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,490 shares in the company, valued at $2,191,430.80. This trade represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. 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. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $285.57.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a North American distributor of plumbing and heating products, supplying professional customers across the residential, commercial, industrial and infrastructure markets. The company serves contractors, builders, remodelers, municipalities, industrial businesses and other trade professionals through branch locations, distribution centers and digital ordering platforms.

Its product offerings include plumbing supplies and fixtures, heating and cooling equipment, water and wastewater products, fire protection systems, waterworks materials, industrial piping and related maintenance, repair and operating supplies.