Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by Raymond James Trust N.A.

Raymond James Trust N.A. decreased its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,905 shares of the company’s stock after selling 162 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. CWM LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 303.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $904,000 after buying an additional 3,423 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter valued at about $2,834,000. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter worth about $26,379,000. Entropy Technologies LP raised its holdings in Ferguson by 66.2% during the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 51,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,256,000 after purchasing an additional 20,580 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in Ferguson by 380.6% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 159,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,309,000 after purchasing an additional 126,242 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Barclays boosted their target price on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Oppenheimer began coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.38.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $208.94 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $166.21 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The business’s fifty day moving average is $200.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $202.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $41.94 billion, a PE ratio of 21.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.85%. The firm had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th were given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.05%.

Insider Activity at Ferguson

In other news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at $224,271.36. This trade represents a 70.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $378,696.04. The trade was a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.