Inscription Capital LLC Takes Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Inscription Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,316 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $520,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 4.6% in the third quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.5% during the second quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management raised its position in Ferguson by 51.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Ferguson by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $249.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $48.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.18. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $146.00 and a 52-week high of $256.93. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The company had revenue of $8.17 billion for the quarter. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.45 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

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.