4,609 Shares in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Bought by Plato Investment Management Ltd

Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,609 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $914,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FERG. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth about $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter worth $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG traded down $3.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $199.84. The company had a trading volume of 1,167,081 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,268,360. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $199.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $203.29. 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 has a market cap of $40.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.30, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.20. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $163.03 and a 12 month high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The firm's revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays upped their target price on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. UBS Group increased 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. Citigroup raised their target price on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $233.38.

Insider Activity at Ferguson

In other news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total transaction of $527,319.04. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares of the company's stock, valued at $224,271.36. This represents a 70.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total value of $1,162,938.06. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,938 shares in the company, valued at $1,195,141.26. This trade represents a 49.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Ferguson 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.