National Pension Service lowered its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG – Free Report) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 297,887 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,345 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.15% of Ferguson worth $66,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 178.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on FERG shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings lowered Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $269.73.
Ferguson Trading Down 0.3%
Shares of FERG opened at $225.88 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $240.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $242.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.78. The company has a market capitalization of $43.81 billion, a PE ratio of 26.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.23. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $177.75 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64.
Ferguson (NYSE:FERG – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $7.47 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 38.81% and a net margin of 6.98%.The company’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.26 EPS for the current year.
Ferguson Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 41.40%.
Ferguson announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, May 5th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 3.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.
Ferguson Profile
Ferguson (NYSE: FERG) is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.
Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.
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