WINTON GROUP Ltd Purchases Shares of 9,200 Ferguson plc $FERG

WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 9,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,183,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Ferguson by 23.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,000 after purchasing an additional 2,940 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in Ferguson during the first quarter valued at $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 22.7% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock worth $503,000 after buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth $257,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total transaction of $1,195,472.84. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,490 shares in the company, valued at $2,191,430.80. This trade represents a 35.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of FERG opened at $222.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.18, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $207.64 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The company has a 50-day moving average of $234.68 and a 200 day moving average of $237.03.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 41.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $261.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays increased their price target on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group raised their price target on Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $285.57.

Ferguson Profile

Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a value-added distributor of plumbing and heating products, water and wastewater solutions, fire protection equipment, HVAC supplies, and related products. The company primarily serves professional contractors and other trade customers, helping them source products, obtain technical support, and manage projects through its distribution network and digital platforms.

Ferguson operates mainly in North America, with businesses serving residential and commercial construction, infrastructure, facilities maintenance, and industrial markets in the United States and Canada.