Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Purchased by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 77.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 644,879 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 281,862 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.33% of Ferguson worth $144,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 178.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 21.7% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional grew its position in Ferguson by 9,900.0% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $222.07 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business’s 50 day moving average is $248.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.47. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $146.00 and a 52-week high of $271.64. The firm has a market cap of $43.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a return on equity of 40.37% and a net margin of 6.93%.During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on FERG. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.93.

Key Stories Impacting Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Rebecca Ferguson (actor) confirms return window for Apple TV+ series “Silo” — entertainment press about the actress, not the company. Collider: Rebecca Ferguson on Silo
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets report Rebecca Ferguson discussing “Silo” Season 3 and Dune: Part 3 details — actor/entertainment coverage, unrelated to Ferguson plc. AOL: Silo Season 3
• Neutral Sentiment: Rebecca Ferguson appears on late-night TV (Seth Meyers) — celebrity appearance, no corporate link. MSN: Seth Meyers & Rebecca Ferguson
• Neutral Sentiment: Celebrity coverage of Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) — various human-interest and controversy stories (public apologies, social ties, living arrangements). These are reputational/celebrity items with no corporate relevance. Yahoo: Sarah Ferguson and Epstein
• Neutral Sentiment: Stories comparing Meghan Markle to Sarah Ferguson and articles about Priscilla Presley and Sarah Ferguson — entertainment/viral coverage, not company news. MSN: Meghan Markle comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports on Sarah Ferguson’s personal comments about other celebrities and alleged tensions with the royal family — tabloid/celebrity reporting, no corporate implications. MSN: Sarah Ferguson on Lisa Marie Presley
• Neutral Sentiment: Sports feature on Brighton’s Evan Ferguson (soccer) — player/club coverage, not related to Ferguson plc’s business. NYT: Evan Ferguson feature

About Ferguson

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.