Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Has $111.38 Million Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 25.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 560,926 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 115,239 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned about 0.28% of Ferguson worth $111,383,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $216.01 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $201.57 and its 200-day moving average is $202.66. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $167.09 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.01, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.20.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.85%. The business’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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th were given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 37.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In related news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,271.36. The trade was a 70.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 56.99 % 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer started coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.38.

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.