109,073 Shares in Ferguson plc $FERG Bought by Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 109,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,442,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 23.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,000 after acquiring an additional 2,940 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 1st quarter valued at about $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 22.7% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $257,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Ferguson by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FERG. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.61.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $233.76 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $45.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $230.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $240.36. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $207.64 and a one year high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $7.47 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.98% and a return on equity of 38.81%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.27 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.