Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 84,911 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 63.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 48,695 shares of the company’s stock after selling 84,911 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Ferguson were worth $10,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.9% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,341,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,211,692,000 after buying an additional 173,128 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Ferguson by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,687,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,673,977,000 after buying an additional 27,312 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 39.3% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,255,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,830,000 after acquiring an additional 1,201,493 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,705,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $806,776,000 after acquiring an additional 100,559 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 5.4% in the second quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,533,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $551,588,000 after acquiring an additional 130,597 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on FERG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of FERG opened at $260.97 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.18. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $262.88. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $239.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.85.

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

Ferguson Increases Dividend

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

Ferguson News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights that Ferguson plc (FERG) has outpaced some industrial-products peers so far this year, reinforcing momentum from the company’s recent quarterly beat and revenue growth — a likely contributor to buying interest. Is Ferguson plc (FERG) Outperforming Other Industrial Products Stocks This Year?
• Neutral Sentiment: Local news: the city of Ferguson (Missouri) reports a downward crime trend — unrelated to Ferguson plc’s plumbing & HVAC distribution business and unlikely to affect the stock. Ferguson facing downward trend in crime: Mayor
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple media reports cover revelations about Sarah Ferguson and related charity/epstein coverage; these are reputational/celebrity stories and do not pertain to Ferguson plc’s operations. Representative coverage: Key revelations about Sarah Ferguson in Epstein files, including suggesting a woman for him to marry
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional celebrity/royal and lifestyle pieces (mental-health, family reaction, email excerpts) concerning Sarah Ferguson appear widely; they are unrelated to the company’s fundamentals. Example: Princess Eugenie feels ‘very frustrated’ by parents Sarah Ferguson and ex-Prince Andrew’s antics
• Neutral Sentiment: Sports mentions of athletes named Ferguson (e.g., Terrance Ferguson) are unrelated to the company and should not affect FERG’s stock. Hurts heaves second TD toss to Ferguson
• Negative Sentiment: An AmericanBankingNews item presents a critical review of Ferguson (FERG) alongside other names, highlighting risks investors should consider (valuation, cyclical exposure and/or operational headwinds cited). This piece may introduce caution among some investors. ZJK Industrial (NASDAQ:ZJK) and Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Critical Review

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.