Cwm LLC Raises Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 303.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,550 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,423 shares during the quarter. CWM LLC's holdings in Ferguson were worth $904,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 80.1% during the first quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 32,811 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,166,000 after purchasing an additional 14,590 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 75,505 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,493,000 after acquiring an additional 9,562 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter worth $2,834,000. Duality Advisers LP bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the first quarter worth $5,016,000. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 132.6% in the first quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,375 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,829,000 after purchasing an additional 4,775 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Barclays upped their price objective on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Ferguson from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $232.29.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.3 %

FERG stock traded down $0.62 during trading on Friday, hitting $204.48. 1,329,353 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,265,720. The stock has a market cap of $41.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.20. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $200.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $205.11. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $147.62 and a 1 year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.77 earnings per share. Ferguson's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.86 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 27th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was 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 represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of Ferguson 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 in the company, valued at approximately $224,271.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total value of $267,318.75. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $201,750. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 three months. Corporate insiders own 0.15% 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.