New York State Common Retirement Fund Has $31.67 Million Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 145,453 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.07% of Ferguson worth $31,672,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 145.3% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management raised its holdings in Ferguson by 51.5% during the 2nd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 103.6% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 226 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 230.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $251.67 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $240.15. The company has a market cap of $49.32 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.18. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $256.93.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.21% and a net margin of 6.03%.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 26th were given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 26th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on FERG shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $204.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Barclays upped their target price on Ferguson from $247.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $288.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ferguson news, SVP Jake Schlicher sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.52, for a total transaction of $700,560.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,720,741.52. This represents a 20.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kevin Michael Murphy sold 8,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.13, for a total transaction of $2,060,344.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 159,931 shares in the company, valued at $37,444,645.03. This trade represents a 5.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 29,264 shares of company stock worth $6,853,349 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.