Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys 19,394 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group boosted its stake in Ferguson by 379.9%, buying 19,394 shares to hold 24,499 shares worth about $5.50 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 81.98% of the company.
• Wall Street consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with a $262.62 average price target (two Strong Buy, eleven Buy, six Hold), and several firms recently raised their targets or ratings.
• Ferguson missed quarterly EPS estimates ($1.99 vs. $2.24) while revenue rose 3.6% year-over-year, and the company declared a $0.89 quarterly dividend ($3.56 annual, ~1.5% yield; ex-dividend March 6).

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 379.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,499 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,394 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Ferguson were worth $5,502,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 178.3% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 81.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 303 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Ferguson by 21.7% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 292 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional increased its stake in Ferguson by 9,900.0% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 300 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on FERG. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ferguson from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $262.62.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:FERG opened at $230.47 on Tuesday. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. The firm's fifty day moving average is $248.73 and its 200-day moving average is $240.70. The firm has a market cap of $44.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.28 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a return on equity of 40.37% and a net margin of 6.93%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 EPS.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson's payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Ferguson Company Profile

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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