Beck Mack & Oliver LLC Has $190.56 Million Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Beck Mack & Oliver LLC lowered its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 1.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 848,518 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,366 shares during the period. Ferguson accounts for about 3.5% of Beck Mack & Oliver LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Beck Mack & Oliver LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $190,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Boothbay Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 31,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,120,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at about $15,453,000. 1858 Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $206,000. 59 North Capital Management LP grew its stake in Ferguson by 114.7% in the third quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP now owns 1,255,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,879,000 after purchasing an additional 670,473 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 69.7% in the third quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 102,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,032,000 after purchasing an additional 42,119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.1%

Ferguson stock opened at $222.07 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 stock has a market cap of $43.19 billion, a PE ratio of 22.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $248.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.43. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.93.

Key Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Rebecca Ferguson (actor) confirms return window for Apple TV+ series “Silo” — entertainment press about the actress, not the company. Collider: Rebecca Ferguson on Silo
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets report Rebecca Ferguson discussing “Silo” Season 3 and Dune: Part 3 details — actor/entertainment coverage, unrelated to Ferguson plc. AOL: Silo Season 3
• Neutral Sentiment: Rebecca Ferguson appears on late-night TV (Seth Meyers) — celebrity appearance, no corporate link. MSN: Seth Meyers & Rebecca Ferguson
• Neutral Sentiment: Celebrity coverage of Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) — various human-interest and controversy stories (public apologies, social ties, living arrangements). These are reputational/celebrity items with no corporate relevance. Yahoo: Sarah Ferguson and Epstein
• Neutral Sentiment: Stories comparing Meghan Markle to Sarah Ferguson and articles about Priscilla Presley and Sarah Ferguson — entertainment/viral coverage, not company news. MSN: Meghan Markle comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports on Sarah Ferguson’s personal comments about other celebrities and alleged tensions with the royal family — tabloid/celebrity reporting, no corporate implications. MSN: Sarah Ferguson on Lisa Marie Presley
• Neutral Sentiment: Sports feature on Brighton’s Evan Ferguson (soccer) — player/club coverage, not related to Ferguson plc’s business. NYT: Evan Ferguson feature

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.