CNA Financial Corp Reduces Stake in Ferguson plc $FERG

CNA Financial Corp reduced its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 11.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the period. Ferguson comprises 5.3% of CNA Financial Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. CNA Financial Corp’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $8,983,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,341,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,211,692,000 after purchasing an additional 173,128 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 2.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,367,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $980,921,000 after purchasing an additional 112,157 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Ferguson by 22.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,734,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,786,000 after purchasing an additional 682,666 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP increased its position in Ferguson by 2.8% in the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,705,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $806,776,000 after buying an additional 100,559 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Egerton Capital UK LLP increased its position in Ferguson by 16.4% in the third quarter. Egerton Capital UK LLP now owns 2,600,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $583,958,000 after buying an additional 366,898 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.1%

FERG opened at $222.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $271.64. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $248.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $240.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.96%.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Rebecca Ferguson (actor) confirms return window for Apple TV+ series “Silo” — entertainment press about the actress, not the company. Collider: Rebecca Ferguson on Silo
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets report Rebecca Ferguson discussing “Silo” Season 3 and Dune: Part 3 details — actor/entertainment coverage, unrelated to Ferguson plc. AOL: Silo Season 3
• Neutral Sentiment: Rebecca Ferguson appears on late-night TV (Seth Meyers) — celebrity appearance, no corporate link. MSN: Seth Meyers & Rebecca Ferguson
• Neutral Sentiment: Celebrity coverage of Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) — various human-interest and controversy stories (public apologies, social ties, living arrangements). These are reputational/celebrity items with no corporate relevance. Yahoo: Sarah Ferguson and Epstein
• Neutral Sentiment: Stories comparing Meghan Markle to Sarah Ferguson and articles about Priscilla Presley and Sarah Ferguson — entertainment/viral coverage, not company news. MSN: Meghan Markle comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports on Sarah Ferguson’s personal comments about other celebrities and alleged tensions with the royal family — tabloid/celebrity reporting, no corporate implications. MSN: Sarah Ferguson on Lisa Marie Presley
• Neutral Sentiment: Sports feature on Brighton’s Evan Ferguson (soccer) — player/club coverage, not related to Ferguson plc’s business. NYT: Evan Ferguson feature

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen cut Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.93.

Ferguson 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.