Ferguson plc $FERG Holdings Increased by Groupe la Francaise

Groupe la Francaise lifted its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 18.4% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 20,152 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,134 shares during the quarter. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $4,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Compass Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 123.4% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 143 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total transaction of $1,195,472.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,191,430.80. This trade represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG stock opened at $228.53 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $44.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.73. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.85. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $207.64 and a 52 week high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. Research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 41.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on FERG. UBS Group upped their price objective on Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $261.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $285.57.

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.