Impax Asset Management Group plc Purchases 13,285 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 22.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 73,488 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,285 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $16,504,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 23.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,000 after acquiring an additional 2,940 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 22.7% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock worth $503,000 after buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter worth $257,000. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at $844,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Vertical Research began coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $291.99 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $268.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE FERG opened at $263.33 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $240.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $236.97. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $265.00. The company has a market cap of $51.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88.

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

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

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.