FORA Capital LLC Acquires New Shares in Ferguson plc $FERG

FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 9,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,085,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Glenmede Investment Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Investment Management LP now owns 55,982 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,572,000 after purchasing an additional 9,896 shares during the period. Baupost Group LLC MA raised its holdings in Ferguson by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 1,155,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,502,000 after buying an additional 23,500 shares during the period. Eisler Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $327,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Ferguson by 128.0% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 612,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,453,000 after buying an additional 343,552 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP boosted its stake in Ferguson by 309.7% during the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 41,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,228,000 after buying an additional 31,063 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FERG. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.93.

Key Ferguson News

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

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $222.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a market cap of $43.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $248.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.38. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $271.64.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s 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.