Lbp Am Sa Takes $448,000 Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Lbp Am Sa bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,996 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $448,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $395,401,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 39.3% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,255,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,830,000 after buying an additional 1,201,493 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $130,650,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted its position in Ferguson by 89.5% during the 2nd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 759,687 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,422,000 after acquiring an additional 358,853 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 693.6% during the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 296,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,543,000 after buying an additional 259,063 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on FERG. UBS Group cut their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $268.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Vertical Research began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $291.99 target price on the stock. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.00.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.0%

FERG opened at $251.63 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $256.93. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $238.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.55.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $8.17 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.45 EPS.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

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

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.