M&G PLC Has $22.68 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

M&G PLC trimmed its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 48.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 101,353 shares of the company’s stock after selling 96,063 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $22,678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Ferguson by 23.9% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,445,000 after buying an additional 2,940 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter valued at $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 22.7% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth about $257,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 18.5% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 11,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,524,000 after purchasing an additional 1,810 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Vertical Research initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, October 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $291.99 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.00.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FERG opened at $261.34 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $240.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $237.77.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.45 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.89 dividend. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.96%.

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.