Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Sold by OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lowered its holdings in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 46.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,493 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,444 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,849,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 145.3% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management raised its position in Ferguson by 51.5% during the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 230.8% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 103.6% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 226 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of FERG opened at $252.10 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $240.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.41 billion, a PE ratio of 26.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $256.93.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.21% and a net margin of 6.03%.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 7th. Investors of record on Friday, September 26th were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 26th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ferguson news, insider Ian T. Graham sold 606 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.33, for a total transaction of $145,033.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,714 shares in the company, valued at $1,846,191.62. The trade was a 7.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,034 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.70, for a total value of $240,611.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $339,276.60. This trade represents a 41.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 29,264 shares of company stock valued at $6,853,349 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Vertical Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $291.99 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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. UBS Group raised their target price on Ferguson from $204.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ferguson to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $246.41.

About Ferguson

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.