Capula Management Ltd Acquires New Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

Capula Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 30,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,105,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 23.9% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,000 after purchasing an additional 2,940 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Ferguson by 22.7% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at approximately $257,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 7.5% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.21.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $228.66 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $207.64 and a 1 year high of $271.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.34 billion, a PE ratio of 26.59, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.78. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $240.52.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $7.47 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.98% and a return on equity of 38.81%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.50 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.40%.

Ferguson declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, May 5th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 3.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.