CNA Financial Corp Sells 5,000 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

CNA Financial Corp lowered its holdings in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the quarter. Ferguson comprises approximately 5.3% of CNA Financial Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. CNA Financial Corp’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $8,983,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 4.6% during the third quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Ferguson by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Ferguson by 21.7% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group boosted its stake in Ferguson by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in Ferguson by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

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

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG stock opened at $222.07 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $43.19 billion, a PE ratio of 22.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50 day moving average of $248.85 and a 200-day moving average of $240.43. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%.During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.52 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FERG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial raised their target price on Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.93.

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.