44,722 Shares in Ferguson plc $FERG Bought by Nykredit A S

Key Points

• Nykredit A S initiated a Ferguson stake of 44,722 shares valued at approximately $10.6 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 81.98% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with an average price target of $285.57; recent targets range from $261 to $313.
• Ferguson reported quarterly earnings of $3.39 per share, exceeding estimates of $3.23, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89, equivalent to a 1.7% annual yield.

Nykredit A S bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 44,722 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,617,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Ferguson by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,107,108 shares of the company's stock worth $1,424,075,000 after acquiring an additional 125,317 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Ferguson by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,393,603 shares of the company's stock worth $977,959,000 after acquiring an additional 25,785 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in Ferguson by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,868,181 shares of the company's stock worth $668,809,000 after acquiring an additional 240,666 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $498,005,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FERG. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Ferguson from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $261.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Barclays increased their price target on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $285.57.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.1%

Ferguson stock opened at $214.59 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $41.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.22, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $212.82 and a 1 year high of $271.64. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $233.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.36.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued 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 during the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Ferguson's payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

Insider Activity at Ferguson

In other news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total transaction of $1,195,472.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,490 shares in the company, valued at $2,191,430.80. This trade represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson plc NYSE: FERG is a value-added distributor of plumbing and heating products, water and wastewater solutions, fire protection equipment, HVAC supplies, and related products. The company primarily serves professional contractors and other trade customers, helping them source products, obtain technical support, and manage projects through its distribution network and digital platforms.

Ferguson operates mainly in North America, with businesses serving residential and commercial construction, infrastructure, facilities maintenance, and industrial markets in the United States and Canada.

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