Avanza Fonder AB Purchases 22,903 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Avanza Fonder AB lifted its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 124.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,254 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 22,903 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $9,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 178.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Ferguson by 154.4% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Barclays increased their target price on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.93.

Ferguson News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Sarah Ferguson denies reports she planned to clone Queen Elizabeth’s corgis for a reality TV project — multiple outlets report statements from her reps pushing back on the rumors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage repeating Ferguson’s denial and reps’ clarifications about cloning claims. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Further media pieces investigating the cloning rumor and reporting reps’ pushback. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage focusing on Ferguson’s rep clarifying that reports about cloned royal dogs are inaccurate. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Fox News and other outlets run similar items quoting Ferguson’s team denying involvement in a cloning reality show. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-form recap articles reporting the official statement that the cloning-for-TV rumor is false. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Other unrelated items: an interview mention of Rebecca Ferguson’s potential Peaky Blinders return. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local political coverage about Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signing bills and meeting the NBA commissioner (state politics, unrelated to the company). Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: BBC coverage noting Sarah Ferguson keeping a low profile amid calls for testimony in an unrelated high-profile investigation. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Human-interest piece about Sarah Ferguson recalling advice from Queen Elizabeth. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investor-relevant note: Ferguson plc reported an EPS miss on Feb 24 (EPS $1.99 vs. $2.24 expected) even as revenue rose ~3.6% YoY — this fundamental miss could weigh on sentiment despite today’s uptick in the share price.

Ferguson Stock Up 2.5%

FERG stock opened at $223.06 on Tuesday. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $247.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.02. 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 has a market capitalization of $43.36 billion, a PE ratio of 22.53, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 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%.Ferguson’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

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.