Markel Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG – Free Report) by 2.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 184,200 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $41,007,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Vega Investment Solutions raised its stake in Ferguson by 50.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vega Investment Solutions now owns 277 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.
Insider Transactions at Ferguson
In other Ferguson news, insider Kevin Murphy sold 11,259 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total transaction of $2,440,726.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 173,863 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,690,021.14. This trade represents a 6.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO William T. Thees, Jr. sold 3,510 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $772,200.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,189,600. The trade was a 9.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 38,808 shares of company stock worth $8,571,587 over the last three months. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Ferguson Trading Down 0.2%
NYSE FERG opened at $241.75 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $225.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.28. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $212.13 and a one year high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market cap of $46.77 billion, a PE ratio of 28.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.11.
Ferguson (NYSE:FERG – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The business had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FERG shares. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Ferguson from $290.00 to $270.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set a “hold” rating and a $252.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $287.44.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Ferguson
Ferguson Profile
Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a value-added distributor of plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), waterworks, fire protection and other building and industrial products. The company serves professional contractors, municipalities, commercial and industrial businesses, and other customers through a network of branches, distribution centers, showrooms and digital platforms.
Its product offering includes pipes, valves, fittings, plumbing fixtures, water and wastewater infrastructure products, HVAC equipment, fire protection systems, industrial supplies and related tools and services.
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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FERG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG – Free Report).
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