23,569 Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Acquired by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Rakuten Investment Management increased its Ferguson stake by 210.7% in the third quarter, adding 23,569 shares to reach 34,754 shares valued at approximately $7.78 million.
• Ferguson reported quarterly earnings of $3.39 per share, above the $3.23 analyst consensus, on revenue of $8.75 billion. Analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $287.44.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share, equal to $3.56 annualized and a yield of about 1.5%; institutional investors own nearly 82% of its shares.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 210.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,754 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,569 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $7,780,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Vega Investment Solutions raised its stake in Ferguson by 50.5% in the second quarter. Vega Investment Solutions now owns 277 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson declared a dividend of $0.89 per share, payable January 8, 2027, to shareholders of record on November 20. That equates to $3.56 annualized and a yield of about 1.4%; the payout may offer some support, though it is unlikely to be a major catalyst on its own. Ferguson Declares Dividend

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Ferguson from $261.00 to $235.00 in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $287.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ferguson news, insider Kevin Murphy sold 1,776 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total transaction of $398,712.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 168,440 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,814,780. This trade represents a 1.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Allison Stirrup sold 922 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $207,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,038 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,583,550. This represents a 11.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,808 shares of company stock valued at $8,571,587. Insiders own 0.15% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $235.17 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $212.13 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The stock has a market cap of $45.49 billion, a PE ratio of 27.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company's fifty day moving average price is $225.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $237.20.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, equities analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 8th. Investors of record on Friday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 20th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Ferguson's payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson plc NYSE: FERG is a value-added distributor of plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), waterworks, fire protection and other building and industrial products. The company serves professional contractors, municipalities, commercial and industrial businesses, and other customers through a network of branches, distribution centers, showrooms and digital platforms.

Its product offering includes pipes, valves, fittings, plumbing fixtures, water and wastewater infrastructure products, HVAC equipment, fire protection systems, industrial supplies and related tools and services.

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