Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by Commerce Bank

Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,666 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.6 %

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $212.51 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $201.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $202.58. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $166.21 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The firm has a market cap of $42.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. Ferguson’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.77 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th were given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 37.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In other news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $378,696.04. This trade represents a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at $224,271.36. This represents a 70.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. UBS Group lifted their price target 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. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays lifted their price target on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.38.

Ferguson 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.