Cerity Partners LLC Has $2.02 Million Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 176.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,147 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,479 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Ferguson were worth $2,015,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Ferguson by 375.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,289,864 shares of the company's stock worth $1,218,032,000 after acquiring an additional 4,966,821 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 10.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Ferguson by 5.9% during the third quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,412,652 shares of the company's stock valued at $280,510,000 after purchasing an additional 79,152 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 1,104,289 shares of the company's stock worth $213,846,000 after acquiring an additional 15,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 967,849 shares of the company's stock valued at $187,424,000 after purchasing an additional 18,504 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total transaction of $527,319.04. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,116 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $224,271.36. This trade represents a 70.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total value of $295,361.60. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,047,246. The trade was a 22.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $233.38.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock traded down $1.83 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $214.10. The stock had a trading volume of 1,398,269 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,270,738. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $201.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $202.40. The firm has a market cap of $42.98 billion, a PE ratio of 25.09, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $167.09 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.05%.

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.