Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by American Trust

American Trust lowered its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 11.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,318 shares of the company’s stock after selling 173 shares during the quarter. American Trust’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $255,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $976,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at $536,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 20.7% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 176,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,127,000 after buying an additional 30,186 shares in the last quarter. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE now owns 5,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 7,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,418,000 after acquiring an additional 753 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.8 %

NASDAQ FERG opened at $195.89 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $39.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.21. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $147.62 and a 12 month high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $203.08 and a 200-day moving average of $206.67.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $7.95 billion during 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%. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.77 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays increased their price objective on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Ferguson from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.57.

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.