289,491 Shares in Ferguson plc $FERG Purchased by PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab

PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 289,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,301,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in FERG. Durable Capital Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $244,561,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 588.1% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,087,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,236,000 after purchasing an additional 929,475 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 22.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,734,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $838,786,000 after purchasing an additional 682,666 shares in the last quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 114.7% during the third quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP now owns 1,255,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,879,000 after acquiring an additional 670,473 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 502.8% during the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 765,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $171,967,000 after acquiring an additional 638,692 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $267.27.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $264.13 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $243.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $243.79. The firm has a market cap of $51.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.23. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $166.04 and a 52 week high of $271.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. Ferguson’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. 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.