Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Increases Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 40.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 21,939 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,307 shares during the quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $4,927,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 145.3% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management increased its stake in Ferguson by 51.5% in the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its stake in Ferguson by 61.3% in the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 242 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FERG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

Ferguson Trading Up 3.1%

FERG opened at $262.77 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $239.73 and its 200-day moving average is $236.36. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $146.00 and a 52-week high of $263.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.45 earnings per share.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Celebrity interviews and human-interest items about Rebecca Ferguson — entertainment coverage with no connection to Ferguson plc; negligible impact on the stock. Rebecca Ferguson opens up
• Neutral Sentiment: Reporting on Rebecca Ferguson describing an on-set incident — celebrity press, no corporate relevance to FERG. Rebecca Ferguson on on-set incident
• Neutral Sentiment: Local reporting that the city of Ferguson is seeing a downward trend in crime — municipal news, not related to the UK/US industrial distributor Ferguson plc. Ferguson facing downward trend in crime
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple tabloid/coverage items concerning Sarah Ferguson and recent Epstein-file revelations — these stories could generate short-term name-recognition noise or media confusion for investors seeing the “Ferguson” name, but they do not relate to Ferguson plc’s operations, earnings or financial outlook. Expect negligible fundamental impact unless headlines cause measurable brand confusion in investor communications. PR expert says this move would be “career suicide” Sarah Ferguson has a ‘housing crisis’ Sarah Ferguson Done Protecting Ex-Prince Andrew Key revelations about Sarah Ferguson in Epstein files

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.