SG Americas Securities LLC Has $23.10 Million Stock Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 17.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 99,028 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,851 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $23,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 154.4% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on FERG shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.58.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:FERG opened at $236.69 on Thursday. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $207.64 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.90 billion, a PE ratio of 27.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.15. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $239.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.20.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $7.47 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 38.81% and a net margin of 6.98%.Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.50 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.40%.

Ferguson announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, May 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.