Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Holdings Lowered by Janus Henderson Group PLC

Janus Henderson Group PLC cut its position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 1.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,872,532 shares of the company’s stock after selling 86,716 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $966,754,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 144.9% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 11,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,578,000 after purchasing an additional 6,982 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 48.6% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 4,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 1,510 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.6% during the second quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,209,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 16.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 118.5% in the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 1,412 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on FERG. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price target for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ferguson news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at $378,696.04. This represents a 37.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total transaction of $267,318.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $201,750. This represents a 56.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $214.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $42.98 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.21. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $167.09 and a one year high of $225.63. 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 simple moving average of $201.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $202.40.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.