Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Sells 18,829 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Aware Super reduced its Ferguson position by 17.9%, selling 18,829 shares in the third quarter; it held 86,481 shares valued at about $19.3 million afterward.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of Ferguson shares. Several investors increased holdings, including Man Group, which raised its stake by 613.8% in the second quarter.
• Analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $287.44. Ferguson also beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $3.39 per share versus the $3.23 consensus estimate.

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super trimmed its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 17.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 86,481 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,829 shares during the quarter. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super's holdings in Ferguson were worth $19,252,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,789,368,000. Man Group plc raised its stake in Ferguson by 613.8% during the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 401,395 shares of the company's stock worth $95,263,000 after acquiring an additional 345,165 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 43.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,029,896 shares of the company's stock worth $240,234,000 after acquiring an additional 312,756 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 31.5% in the second quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 919,100 shares of the company's stock worth $218,130,000 after acquiring an additional 220,168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 17.3% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,321,070 shares of the company's stock worth $308,198,000 after acquiring an additional 195,047 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on FERG. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $295.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $287.44.

Insider Activity

In other Ferguson news, COO William Thees, Jr. sold 353 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total transaction of $79,248.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 31,745 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,126,752.50. The trade was a 1.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jake Schlicher sold 314 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total value of $70,493.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,621 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,935,414.50. This trade represents a 3.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 38,808 shares of company stock worth $8,571,587 over the last ninety days. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.2%

Ferguson stock opened at $241.75 on Wednesday. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $212.13 and a 52-week high of $271.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.41, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $225.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $237.28.

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

About Ferguson

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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