SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 4,665 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 24.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 23,883 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,665 shares during the period. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $5,364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 145.3% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its holdings in Ferguson by 51.5% in the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Ferguson by 230.8% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Maseco LLP acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 61.3% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 242 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Article ranks Manchester United managers (mentioning the name Ferguson) — unrelated to Ferguson plc and unlikely to affect the stock. Every Man Utd Manager Since Sir Alex Ferguson—Ranked
• Neutral Sentiment: Report that players Ferguson and Henry may take paternity leave during the T20 World Cup — sports personnel news with no corporate relevance to FERG. Ferguson, Henry may take paternity leave during T20 World Cup
• Neutral Sentiment: Evan Ferguson scores as Roma move up to fourth — sports match coverage about the player Evan Ferguson, not the company. Evan Ferguson scores as Roma move up to fourth
• Neutral Sentiment: Match report: Evan Ferguson named man of the match for Roma — soccer coverage unrelated to Ferguson plc. Evan Ferguson scores again & named player of the match for Roma
• Neutral Sentiment: Serie A match story: Evan Ferguson scores as Roma beat Lecce — sporting news that does not impact Ferguson plc fundamentals. Evan Ferguson scores as Roma beat Lecce in Serie A
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters match recap: Ferguson and Dovbyk help Roma win at Lecce — sports wire story, no corporate connection. Ferguson and Dovbyk fire Roma to win at Lecce
• Neutral Sentiment: Celebrity piece revealing Sarah Ferguson’s nickname for the late queen — royal/celebrity coverage unrelated to the business. Sarah Ferguson’s nickname for the late queen revealed
• Neutral Sentiment: Yahoo sports feature: Ferguson leads Roma over Lecce with a scoring quote — player-focused sports story with no company impact. Ferguson leads Roma over Lecce: “The more I play, the more I can score.”
• Neutral Sentiment: Tabloid claims about Sarah Ferguson sending letters to King Charles — gossip/royal news, not relevant to FERG investors. Desperate’ Sarah Ferguson Reportedly ‘Disgraces Herself’ with ‘Begging’ Christmas Letters to King Charles
• Neutral Sentiment: Express live coverage repeating allegations about Sarah Ferguson — tabloid content with no bearing on Ferguson plc’s outlook. Royal Family LIVE: ‘Desperate’ Sarah Ferguson ‘disgraces herself’ with King Charles plea

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $243.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Ferguson from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $250.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In other news, insider James A. Paisley sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.97, for a total value of $710,910.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $523,940.67. This represents a 57.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ian T. Graham sold 606 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.33, for a total transaction of $145,033.98. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,714 shares in the company, valued at $1,846,191.62. The trade was a 7.28% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,264 shares of company stock worth $6,853,349. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.8%

Ferguson stock opened at $225.89 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $238.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $231.88. The company has a market cap of $44.17 billion, a PE ratio of 22.82, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.18. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $256.93.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The firm had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 35.96%.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson (NYSE: FERG) is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.