Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Shares Purchased by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Free Report) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 158,801 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,924 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.08% of Ferguson worth $31,533,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted 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. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $233.38.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.4 %

FERG traded up $0.87 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $202.74. 941,988 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,265,504. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $199.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $202.89. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $164.90 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.70 billion, a PE ratio of 20.72, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.05%.

Insider Activity at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, 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 approximately $201,750. This represents a 56.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total transaction of $1,162,938.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,938 shares in the company, valued at $1,195,141.26. This represents a 49.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.