Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 7,365 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 30.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,134 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,365 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,815,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FERG. Markel Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 163,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,400,000 after purchasing an additional 16,500 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 168.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 759 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in Ferguson by 114.5% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake in Ferguson by 50.4% during the 4th quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 9,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,083,000 after buying an additional 3,137 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on FERG. Weiss Ratings cut Ferguson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Ferguson from $295.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.73.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.0%

FERG opened at $223.37 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $43.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $240.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $242.62. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $176.26 and a 52 week high of $271.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.14. Ferguson had a return on equity of 38.92% and a net margin of 6.98%.The firm had revenue of $7.47 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, May 5th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 41.40%.

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.