Fox Run Management L.L.C. Lowers Stake in Ferguson plc $FERG

Fox Run Management L.L.C. cut its holdings in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 65.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,389 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,544 shares during the quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $761,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. First Financial Bankshares Inc grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 403.4% during the third quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc now owns 10,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,322,000 after buying an additional 8,286 shares during the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its position in Ferguson by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 2,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 401.7% in the 3rd quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 33,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,555,000 after purchasing an additional 26,936 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Makena Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $18,992,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on FERG. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.62.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $260.62 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $247.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.04. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $271.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $50.96 billion, a PE ratio of 26.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The company’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.52 EPS.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 35.96%.

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.