4,594 Shares in Ferguson plc $FERG Acquired by Caprock Group LLC

Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 4,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,341,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,211,692,000 after buying an additional 173,128 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Ferguson by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,687,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,673,977,000 after buying an additional 27,312 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 39.3% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,255,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,830,000 after buying an additional 1,201,493 shares in the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% in the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,705,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $806,776,000 after acquiring an additional 100,559 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,442,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $531,769,000 after acquiring an additional 10,615 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on FERG. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Friday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Ferguson from $268.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of FERG opened at $261.34 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $271.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.40, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $240.98 and a 200-day moving average of $237.77.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The business had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.45 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.89 dividend. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Ferguson 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.