1,230 Shares in Ferguson plc $FERG Purchased by Boston Family Office LLC

Boston Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $268,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 13.5% during the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 57,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,233,000 after buying an additional 6,846 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Ferguson by 0.8% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,185,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 342.5% during the first quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,727 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,872,000 after acquiring an additional 9,077 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 349.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 136,980 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,948,000 after purchasing an additional 106,479 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 1st quarter worth about $207,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on FERG. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $247.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 18th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ferguson from $204.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Ferguson from $231.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.75.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE FERG opened at $251.10 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $49.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.18. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $256.93. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $240.51.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $8.50 billion for 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 26th were given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 35.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, insider Allison Stirrup sold 969 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.23, for a total transaction of $226,968.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,058 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,184,735.34. The trade was a 16.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider James A. Paisley sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.97, for a total value of $710,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,211 shares in the company, valued at approximately $523,940.67. This trade represents a 57.57% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 29,264 shares of company stock valued at $6,853,349 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Company Profile

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.