Machina Capital S.A.S. Buys 5,616 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Machina Capital S.A.S. lifted its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 179.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,746 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,616 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,904,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tredje AP fonden lifted its stake in Ferguson by 21.6% during the second quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 12,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,733,000 after purchasing an additional 2,231 shares during the period. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Ferguson during the second quarter worth about $239,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 2.8% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 40,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,742,000 after purchasing an additional 1,084 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the second quarter worth about $359,000. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the second quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $248.59 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $233.81. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $252.52. The company has a market cap of $48.72 billion, a PE ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.48. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.03% and a return on equity of 35.21%. The firm had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Investors of record on Friday, September 26th will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 35.55%.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In related news, CFO William Brundage sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total value of $699,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 52,631 shares in the company, valued at $12,279,864.92. The trade was a 5.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider James A. Paisley sold 3,000 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.97, for a total transaction of $710,910.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $523,940.67. This represents a 57.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 29,264 shares of company stock worth $6,853,349 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on FERG shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $247.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ferguson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $240.80.

About Ferguson

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.