BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp Has $66.46 Million Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp increased its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 334,692 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,148 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $66,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $657,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 3.0% in the second quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 3.2% in the third quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,952 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ FERG opened at $215.93 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80. The stock has a market cap of $43.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.01, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.20. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $201.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $202.66. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $167.09 and a 52-week high of $225.63.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on FERG. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.38.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In related news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $224,271.36. This trade represents a 70.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 transaction of $224,963.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at $378,696.04. This trade represents a 37.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.