Intech Investment Management LLC Acquires Shares of 5,089 Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 5,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,011,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 1.8% during the third quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,307 shares of the company’s stock worth $657,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $394,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,952 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.8% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 33.8% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on FERG shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup raised their price target on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.38.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $213.27 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $201.32 and its 200 day moving average is $202.52. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $166.21 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $42.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.20.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.77 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.05%.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In other news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $378,696.04. This trade represents a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total transaction of $1,162,938.06. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,938 shares in the company, valued at $1,195,141.26. This represents a 49.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.