Bank of Montreal Can Buys 46,813 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 27.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 214,666 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 46,813 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned approximately 0.11% of Ferguson worth $48,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 23.9% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,445,000 after purchasing an additional 2,940 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 1st quarter worth $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 22.7% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter valued at about $257,000. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 11.3% in the second quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 1,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.93.

Ferguson Stock Down 5.1%

NYSE FERG opened at $219.81 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The company has a market capitalization of $42.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.20, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $248.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued 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%.During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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

Ferguson News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Technical/analyst note — Zacks highlights that FERG has fallen ~13.6% over four weeks and is now in oversold territory, arguing that heavy selling may be exhausted and noting strong analyst agreement in upward earnings-estimate revisions that could support a near-term trend reversal. Zacks: Ferguson plc Loses 13.6% in 4 Weeks
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated celebrity/entertainment coverage using the “Ferguson” name — multiple articles about actor Rebecca Ferguson (Silo season updates, Dune: Part 3 comments) are circulating but have no material bearing on Ferguson plc’s business or financials. Collider: Rebecca Ferguson on Silo
• Neutral Sentiment: Tabloid and royal-family items referencing Sarah Ferguson and other public figures are generating headlines but are unrelated to the industrial distributor Ferguson plc and should not drive fundamentals. (Examples include coverage on social/celebrity developments.) Yahoo: Sarah Ferguson coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results (reported Feb. 24) disappointed on EPS vs. consensus (reported $1.99 vs. $2.24 expected), although revenue grew modestly year-over-year. The earnings miss and subsequent profit-taking are key drivers of the recent weakness in FERG shares.

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.