West Family Investments Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

West Family Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 11.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,260 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In related news, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the business’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 value of $267,318.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $201,750. The trade was a 56.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total transaction of $295,361.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,047,246. This represents a 22.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 over the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $201.93 on Wednesday. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $164.22 and a one year high of $225.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $199.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $202.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.54 billion, a PE ratio of 20.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th were given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FERG. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.38.

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.