Alta Advisers Ltd Takes $232,000 Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Alta Advisers Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of FERG. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its stake in Ferguson by 51.5% during the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Ferguson by 0.8% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,185,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. boosted its stake in Ferguson by 4.6% during the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP boosted its stake in Ferguson by 2.2% during the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 3,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $489,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, James Hambro & Partners LLP boosted its stake in Ferguson by 1.1% during the first quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 6,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,011,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ferguson from $231.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group raised their target price on Ferguson from $204.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Zacks Research upgraded Ferguson to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ferguson from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.71.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.4%

NYSE:FERG opened at $231.45 on Friday. 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 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $243.40. The firm has a market cap of $45.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $229.11.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.48. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.21% and a net margin of 6.03%.The firm had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.55%.

Ferguson Profile

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.