Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC reduced its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 30.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 84,177 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,027 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $18,740,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Atria Investments Inc increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 38.2% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 15,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,459,000 after acquiring an additional 4,259 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $1,002,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 20,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,609,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares in the last quarter. Kinetic Partners Management LP boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 53.4% in the 3rd quarter. Kinetic Partners Management LP now owns 349,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,378,000 after purchasing an additional 121,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,252,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on FERG. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.93.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.6%

FERG opened at $224.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. The company has a market cap of $43.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.71, a PEG 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $246.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 40.37% and a net margin of 6.93%.During the same period last year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 35.96%.

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.