3,137 Shares in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Acquired by Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $623,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter valued at about $47,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 2,462.5% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter worth about $105,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on FERG. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,271.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Ferguson news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $378,696.04. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at $224,271.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $195.50 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $39.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.20. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $147.62 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $200.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $204.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.85%. The business’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.77 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.86 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.05%.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.