Empowered Funds LLC Buys 2,018 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 6.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,471 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,018 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $6,249,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $199.94 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $163.03 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.14 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $199.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $203.14.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Citigroup upped their price target on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.38.

Insider Activity at Ferguson

In related news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $378,696.04. This trade represents a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total transaction of $527,319.04. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at $224,271.36. This represents a 70.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 in the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ferguson Company Profile

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.