Dudley & Shanley Inc. Sells 4,193 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Dudley & Shanley Inc. cut its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 4.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 100,032 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,193 shares during the quarter. Ferguson makes up approximately 3.6% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Dudley & Shanley Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $22,269,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FERG. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 2.1% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,107,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,424,075,000 after purchasing an additional 125,317 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,619,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,474,000 after buying an additional 48,544 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,393,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $977,959,000 after buying an additional 25,785 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,868,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $668,809,000 after buying an additional 240,666 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:FERG traded up $2.63 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $225.56. The stock had a trading volume of 249,142 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,697,819. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $43.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.50, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $231.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $234.63. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $212.13 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The firm 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Ferguson

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $252.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.33.

Ferguson Profile

Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a North American distributor of plumbing and heating products, supplying professional customers across the residential, commercial, industrial and infrastructure markets. The company serves contractors, builders, remodelers, municipalities, industrial businesses and other trade professionals through branch locations, distribution centers and digital ordering platforms.

Its product offerings include plumbing supplies and fixtures, heating and cooling equipment, water and wastewater products, fire protection systems, waterworks materials, industrial piping and related maintenance, repair and operating supplies.