Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Has $71.41 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Anchor Capital Advisors reduced its Ferguson position by 1.5% in the second quarter, retaining 300,874 shares valued at $71.41 million. Institutional investors collectively own 81.98% of Ferguson.
• Analysts raised their price targets, with a consensus target of $285.57 and an overall “Moderate Buy” rating. Ferguson recently exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $3.39 versus the $3.23 consensus.
• Ferguson declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89, equivalent to $3.56 annually and a 1.6% yield. The stock opened at $228.53, within its 52-week range of $207.64 to $271.64.

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 1.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 300,874 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,653 shares during the quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.16% of Ferguson worth $71,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Raiffeisen Bank International AG lifted its stake in Ferguson by 350,745.0% in the fourth quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 522,759 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,382,000 after buying an additional 522,610 shares in the last quarter. Marsico Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $11,017,000. Lmcg Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter worth $1,806,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 13.2% during the second quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 96,108 shares of the company's stock worth $22,932,000 after acquiring an additional 11,196 shares during the period. Finally, Greenland Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,481,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Ferguson from $281.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $285.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider owned 9,490 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,191,430.80. The trade was a 35.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.1%

Ferguson stock opened at $228.53 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $44.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $235.33 and a 200-day moving average of $237.85. 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 one year low of $207.64 and a one year high of $271.64.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.83%.

About Ferguson

Ferguson NYSE: FERG is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.

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