Caprock Group LLC Takes $678,000 Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 3,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $678,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth about $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ FERG traded up $2.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $208.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 885,170 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,278,460. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market cap of $41.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.20. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $200.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $202.84. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $166.21 and a one year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.77 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.05%.

Insider Activity at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total value of $1,162,938.06. Following the sale, the insider now owns 5,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,195,141.26. The trade was a 49.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the transaction, 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 37.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer started coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $234.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $233.38.

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.