Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Sells 16,946 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 911,377 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,946 shares during the quarter. Ferguson comprises 1.1% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $204,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,002,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in Ferguson by 11.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 20,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,609,000 after acquiring an additional 2,145 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,252,000. Fisher Funds Management LTD lifted its stake in Ferguson by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD now owns 160,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,029,000 after purchasing an additional 10,426 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Markel Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 147,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,013,000 after buying an additional 12,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $252.37 on Monday. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $257.00. The company has a market capitalization of $49.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. The business’s 50-day moving average is $238.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.17.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.45 EPS.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.00.

Ferguson Company 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.