First Financial Bankshares Inc Purchases 8,286 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

First Financial Bankshares Inc raised its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 403.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,340 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,286 shares during the quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $2,322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 178.3% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in Ferguson by 145.3% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. AdvisorShares Investments LLC bought a new position in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Ferguson by 21.7% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $267.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $268.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Two 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $251.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $49.14 billion, a PE ratio of 25.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $244.27 and a 200-day moving average of $239.18. 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 plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $271.64.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.96%.

About Ferguson

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.