PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators Takes $6.58 Million Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 29,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,576,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in Ferguson by 154.4% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG stock opened at $229.14 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $44.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.15. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $207.64 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $241.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $241.33.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $7.47 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.98% and a return on equity of 38.81%. The business’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given 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, May 15th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 41.40%.

Ferguson announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, May 5th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on FERG shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.64.

Ferguson Company Profile

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.