Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Decreases Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 0.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,629 shares of the company’s stock after selling 66 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $15,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 10.6% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 21,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,752,000 after purchasing an additional 2,077 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 216.4% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. SPC Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 9.9% in the first quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 2,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $608,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 83.2% in the first quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 30,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,578,000 after purchasing an additional 13,679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Duality Advisers LP bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 1st quarter valued at $5,016,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $202.09 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $198.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $203.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.20. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $154.61 and a one year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.85%. The business had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 37.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ferguson news, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total transaction of $295,361.60. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,047,246. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total transaction of $295,361.60. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,047,246. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total transaction of $1,162,938.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 5,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,195,141.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 over the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on FERG. 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 note on Wednesday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $232.50.

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.