Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Has $1.40 Million Stake in Ferguson plc $FERG

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 67.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,221 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,498 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,397,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 178.3% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 9,900.0% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $69,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts/technicals: Zacks notes FERG fell ~13.6% over four weeks and is technically in oversold territory, arguing a trend reversal may be possible as Wall Street consensus has been revising earnings estimates upward. This supports a potential near-term bounce. FERG Loses 13.6% in 4 Weeks
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell sharply in February (down ~34.2% to ~1.79M shares, ~0.9% of float; short-interest ratio ~1.1 days). Lower short interest reduces the risk of continued squeezes and may remove a source of selling pressure. (Source: recent short-interest data)
• Neutral Sentiment: Rebecca Ferguson/Silo season 3 media coverage — several entertainment outlets report Rebecca Ferguson confirmed a release window for Apple TV’s “Silo” Season 3. This is celebrity/brand news and unlikely to affect the industrial distribution business of Ferguson plc. Rebecca Ferguson Confirms Silo Season 3 Release Date Window
• Neutral Sentiment: Other celebrity/press items (stories about Sarah Ferguson, Priscilla Presley, pop-culture interviews) are unrelated to Ferguson plc’s operations and unlikely to move the stock. Example coverage: social/celebrity articles in MSN/AOL/Yahoo.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sports profile: The NYT ran a piece on soccer player Evan Ferguson and Brighton (unrelated to Ferguson plc). Evan Ferguson and Kaoru Mitoma
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamentals/earnings: Ferguson missed Q4 consensus (reported $1.99 EPS vs. $2.24 expected), which likely spurred part of the recent selloff. Revenues rose modestly (+3.6% YoY) but the EPS miss and any cautious forward commentary remain a headwind for the shares.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:FERG opened at $231.45 on Thursday. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $248.96 and its 200 day moving average is $240.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.02 billion, a PE ratio of 23.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a return on equity of 40.37% and a net margin of 6.93%.The firm’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 earned $1.52 earnings per share.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 35.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.93.

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.