Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Sold by Oak Thistle LLC

Oak Thistle LLC decreased its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 50.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,868 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,886 shares during the quarter. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,992,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in 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 in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 51.5% in 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 raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 230.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $243.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ferguson from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $250.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider James A. Paisley sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.97, for a total transaction of $710,910.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $523,940.67. The trade was a 57.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO William Brundage sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total transaction of $699,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 52,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,279,864.92. This represents a 5.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 29,264 shares of company stock worth $6,853,349 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.4%

FERG opened at $224.59 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $242.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $256.93.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $8.17 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 6.28%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.45 EPS.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.54%.

About Ferguson

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.