230,900 Shares in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Bought by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 230,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,850,000. ING Groep NV owned approximately 0.12% of Ferguson as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.8% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $686,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.8% in the third quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,307 shares of the company's stock valued at $657,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.0% in the second quarter. Transatlantique Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,035 shares of the company's stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.2% in the third quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,952 shares of the company's stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.8% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,130 shares of the company's stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on FERG. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays increased their price target on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Citigroup increased their price target on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $233.38.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ FERG traded down $2.29 on Thursday, hitting $203.22. 1,094,354 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,268,818. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $199.17 and a 200-day moving average of $203.29. 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 52 week low of $163.03 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The stock has a market cap of $40.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.20.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.85%. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.77 EPS. Ferguson's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson's payout ratio is 37.05%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at $378,696.04. This trade represents a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $224,271.36. This represents a 70.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Company Profile

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.