230,900 Shares in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Acquired by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 230,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,850,000. ING Groep NV owned 0.12% of Ferguson at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter worth $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at $378,696.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,271.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased 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. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.38.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of FERG stock traded up $0.37 on Thursday, hitting $205.88. 278,179 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,265,118. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.20. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $163.03 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $198.97 and a 200 day moving average of $203.29.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.77 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th were paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 37.05%.

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.