Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Takes Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 11,788 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,341,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the first quarter valued at about $47,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position 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 buying an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ferguson during the second quarter valued at about $105,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $196.16 on Wednesday. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $147.62 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $200.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $204.87. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $39.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.54%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $378,696.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the company’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 owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,750. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 directly owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $378,696.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on FERG shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $232.50.

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.