Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 158,801 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,924 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.08% of Ferguson worth $31,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Ferguson by 375.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,289,864 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,218,032,000 after buying an additional 4,966,821 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Ferguson by 589.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,619,637 shares of the company's stock worth $353,778,000 after purchasing an additional 1,384,570 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Ferguson by 10.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,563,558 shares of the company's stock worth $302,781,000 after purchasing an additional 153,757 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,412,652 shares of the company's stock worth $280,510,000 after purchasing an additional 79,152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Pacific Advisors LP raised its holdings in Ferguson by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 1,104,289 shares of the company's stock worth $213,846,000 after purchasing an additional 15,700 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.
NASDAQ:FERG opened at $201.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $40.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $164.22 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $199.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $202.89.
Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. Ferguson's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. Analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.05%.
Several research analysts have commented on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $233.38.
Read Our Latest Report on Ferguson
In related news, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total value of $295,361.60. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,047,246. This trade represents a 22.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $378,696.04. The trade was a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 in the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.
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