E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB Takes $1.57 Million Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB purchased a new position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,569,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter valued at $32,000. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the first quarter worth $47,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Ferguson by 2,462.5% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the second quarter worth $105,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total value of $267,318.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $201,750. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total transaction of $527,319.04. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $224,271.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total transaction of $267,318.75. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $201,750. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901 over the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Ferguson from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.50.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $196.23 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $200.11 and a 200-day moving average of $204.37. The company has a market cap of $39.39 billion, a PE ratio of 23.00, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.20. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $147.62 and a one year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 37.05%.

About Ferguson

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.