Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Buys Shares of 4,462 Ferguson plc $FERG

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 4,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,002,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 145.3% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management boosted 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. 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 in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in Ferguson by 61.3% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 242 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on FERG shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $267.00 to $278.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Ferguson from $268.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Vertical Research began coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $291.99 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE:FERG opened at $253.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $256.93. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.93. The company has a market capitalization of $49.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.18.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. The firm had revenue of $8.17 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

More Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s recent fundamentals support the uptick — the company reported a Dec. quarter EPS beat ($2.84 vs. $2.77 expected), year-over-year revenue growth (~5.1%), a healthy net margin (~6.3%) and very strong return on equity (~35.7%). Those results and margins are investor-friendly and help justify a higher share price.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and valuation context is supportive: market cap near $50B, P/E ~24.6, the stock is trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and close to its 52?week high — momentum and relative strength can attract additional buying from trend-following funds.
• Neutral Sentiment: Most of the recent headlines in the supplied list concern actress Rebecca Ferguson (film reviews, PVOD performance, interviews about AI) and are unrelated to Ferguson plc’s business and fundamentals. Rebecca Ferguson’s $715 Million Sci?Fi Epic Is Hypnotizing Audiences on PVOD
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional entertainment pieces rank or review Rebecca Ferguson’s films (rankings, mixed reviews, PVOD success) — these drive celebrity media attention only and should not affect FERG’s fundamentals. The 11 best Rebecca Ferguson movies, ranked
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage about Rebecca Ferguson’s film “Mercy” and interviews on AI likewise concern entertainment/PR angles, not the industrial distributor. ‘Mercy’ Stars Chris Pratt And Rebecca Ferguson On The Dangers Of AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Several tabloid/royal-family items referencing Sarah Ferguson and Princess Anne are human-interest stories with no direct link to Ferguson plc’s business performance. Sarah Ferguson is trying to save what’s left of her reputation
• Negative Sentiment: One local-policy item — Gov. Ferguson’s supplemental budget proposing a $15.8M cut to University of Washington operating funds — could modestly affect regional economic activity in WA state. However, the impact on Ferguson plc’s North American distribution business is likely negligible unless larger state-level cuts materialize. Gov. Ferguson’s supplemental budget proposes $15.8 million cut to UW operating funds

Ferguson 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.