Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Sold by BSW Wealth Partners

BSW Wealth Partners trimmed its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 21.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,353 shares of the company’s stock after selling 363 shares during the quarter. BSW Wealth Partners’ holdings in Ferguson were worth $269,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 375.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,289,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,218,032,000 after purchasing an additional 4,966,821 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 589.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,619,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $353,778,000 after acquiring an additional 1,384,570 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 10.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,563,558 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,781,000 after acquiring an additional 153,757 shares during the period. First Pacific Advisors LP raised its holdings in Ferguson by 1.4% during the second quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 1,104,289 shares of the company’s stock worth $213,846,000 after purchasing an additional 15,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Ferguson by 1.9% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 967,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,424,000 after purchasing an additional 18,504 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG opened at $197.98 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $39.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.21, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $154.61 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $198.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $203.54.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. Ferguson’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 37.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $232.50.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In other news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $378,696.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total transaction of $1,162,938.06. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,938 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,195,141.26. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $378,696.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.