FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co Takes $210,000 Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co bought a new position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $210,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,657,000. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 11.0% during the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 199,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,360,000 after buying an additional 19,659 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in Ferguson by 89.5% during the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 759,687 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,422,000 after buying an additional 358,853 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Ferguson by 2.8% in the second quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,082 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,550,000 after buying an additional 831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.9% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,341,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,211,692,000 after acquiring an additional 173,128 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ferguson news, insider Allison Stirrup sold 969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.23, for a total value of $226,968.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,184,735.34. This represents a 16.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,034 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.70, for a total transaction of $240,611.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,458 shares in the company, valued at $339,276.60. This trade represents a 41.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 29,264 shares of company stock valued at $6,853,349. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $231.69 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.41 billion, a PE ratio of 24.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $237.31. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $256.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 26th were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on FERG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Vertical Research began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $291.99 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $204.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $243.75.

Ferguson Company 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.