Retireful LLC Takes $530,000 Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Retireful LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $530,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of FERG opened at $201.93 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $164.22 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.72, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $199.91 and a 200-day moving average of $202.89.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 37.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In related news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at $224,271.36. This represents a 70.16 % 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, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total value of $1,162,938.06. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,938 shares in the company, valued at $1,195,141.26. The trade was a 49.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FERG. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. UBS Group upped their target price on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” 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 MarketBeat, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.38.

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.