Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC Has $12.85 Million Stock Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC raised its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 20.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,210 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,749 shares during the quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $12,848,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Ferguson by 37.8% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Ferguson by 19.0% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,000,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,299,000 after buying an additional 159,716 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 1st quarter worth about $365,000. Perbak Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $279,000. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 600,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,138,000 after purchasing an additional 300,000 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Price Performance

NYSE:FERG opened at $225.41 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $240.44 and a 200-day moving average of $231.49. The company has a market capitalization of $44.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.77, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $256.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. The firm had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ferguson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $250.47.

Key Stores Impacting Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Local chef Darnell “SuperChef” Ferguson sold out a pilot taping in Louisville — entertainment/local interest, unrelated to Ferguson plc. Louisville’s Darnell ‘SuperChef ‘ Ferguson sells out of tickets to new show pilot filming
• Neutral Sentiment: Actress Priah Ferguson publicly defended Winona Ryder amid social-media rumors — celebrity news, no corporate link to FERG. ‘Stranger Things’ star, Priah Ferguson, defends Winona Ryder amid TikTok rumours
• Neutral Sentiment: Local/transport report: “Ferguson” to discuss critical Highway 2 repairs with reopening possibly months away — infrastructure story tied to a person/place named Ferguson, not the company. Ferguson to discuss critical Highway 2 repairs, with full opening possibly months away
• Neutral Sentiment: Soccer/club rumor: stories about candidates to replace a manager named Ferguson at Roma and match coverage naming Evan Ferguson man-of-the-match — sports items, irrelevant to FERG. The two Roma main candidates to replace Ferguson in January Evan Ferguson named man of the match as Roma beat Genoa
• Neutral Sentiment: Political/budget reporting: stories about a politician named Ferguson submitting supplemental budgets and budget plans drawing criticism from health-care groups — state fiscal policy, not company-specific. Ferguson, GOP submit supplemental budgets Ferguson budget plan a patchwork WA health care groups raise alarm over Ferguson budget
• Neutral Sentiment: Entertainment/streaming: articles about Rebecca Ferguson’s sci‑fi show and Sarah Ferguson’s tell‑all book coverage — media/celebrity items not tied to the distributor FERG. Rebecca Ferguson’s 90% Sci-Fi Masterpiece Is in Danger of Being Forgotten Ahead of Season 3 Sarah Ferguson’s Tell-All Could Jeopardize ‘Family Ties’ — Source
• Neutral Sentiment: Local government request: a governor named Ferguson requested $11M for design of a new Spokane veterans home — a public project reference, not corporate news for Ferguson plc. Gov. Ferguson requests $11 million for design of new Spokane Veterans home
• Neutral Sentiment: Tabloid pieces about Sarah Ferguson’s personal life and book continue to circulate — celebrity/tabloid coverage, irrelevant to FERG investors. Sarah Ferguson Allegedly Warned Tell-All Book Would ‘Wreck What Is Left of Her Life’ ‘Disgraced’ Sarah Ferguson Allegedly ‘Needs Rich New Man’ to Fund Plastic Surgery Dreams This New Year

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ian T. Graham sold 4,864 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.22, for a total value of $1,134,382.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,769 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,811,886.18. The trade was a 38.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO William Brundage sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total value of $699,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,631 shares in the company, valued at $12,279,864.92. The trade was a 5.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,264 shares of company stock valued at $6,853,349. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ferguson Company 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.