Optas LLC Acquires Shares of 1,112 Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Optas LLC acquired 1,112 shares of Ferguson plc in Q2, valued at approximately $242,000.
• Ferguson reported quarterly earnings of $3.48 EPS, exceeding analyst expectations of $3.00, with revenues of $8.50 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.4%, to be paid on November 7th.

Optas LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,112 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $242,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 41.5% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 467 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $660,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 4,502 shares of the company's stock valued at $721,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,577 shares of the company's stock valued at $573,000 after buying an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 108.8% in the 1st quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 2,716 shares of the company's stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 1,415 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock opened at $234.91 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $228.92. The firm has a market cap of $46.08 billion, a PE ratio of 25.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $243.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.48. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.03% and a return on equity of 35.21%. The business had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.44 billion.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. Ferguson's payout ratio is presently 35.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $235.71.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.

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