Gladius Capital Management LP Sells 95 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Gladius Capital Management LP decreased its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 7.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,105 shares of the company’s stock after selling 95 shares during the quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In related news, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total value of $267,318.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $201,750. This trade represents a 56.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total value of $295,361.60. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,047,246. This represents a 22.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.6 %

FERG opened at $199.94 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $199.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $203.14. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $163.03 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th were given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 37.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.38.

About Ferguson

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.