Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Position Increased by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,321 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 753 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,418,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the first quarter valued at about $47,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 538.1% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 402 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 2,462.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on FERG. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Ferguson from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.57.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.0 %

FERG opened at $201.86 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $40.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $147.62 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $203.83 and a 200-day moving average of $206.86.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 37.03%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.77 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.54%.

Ferguson announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, June 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.