Ferguson plc $FERG Stock Sold by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al trimmed its holdings in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 72,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,100 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $16,029,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 1,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 1,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Ferguson by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in Ferguson by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ferguson news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 314 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total value of $70,493.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,935,414.50. The trade was a 3.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Kevin Murphy sold 1,776 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total value of $398,712.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 168,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,814,780. The trade was a 1.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 38,808 shares of company stock valued at $8,571,587 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup upgraded Ferguson’s stock rating, adding a bullish analyst catalyst for Ferguson plc. The upgrade could support the shares by signaling improved expectations for earnings, valuation, or industry conditions. Ferguson Stock Rating Upgraded by Citigroup
• Neutral Sentiment: The other headlines concern people or organizations named Ferguson—including Sarah Ferguson, Washington Governor Ferguson, a municipal oversight case, and football player Jake Ferguson. They do not relate to Ferguson plc or appear likely to affect FERG’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.0%

NYSE:FERG opened at $238.04 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $225.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $237.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.73. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $212.13 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $295.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Ferguson from $290.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $287.44.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a value-added distributor of plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), waterworks, fire protection and other building and industrial products. The company serves professional contractors, municipalities, commercial and industrial businesses, and other customers through a network of branches, distribution centers, showrooms and digital platforms.

Its product offering includes pipes, valves, fittings, plumbing fixtures, water and wastewater infrastructure products, HVAC equipment, fire protection systems, industrial supplies and related tools and services.