PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab Buys Shares of 289,491 Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake of 289,491 shares in Ferguson valued at about $65.3 million, representing roughly 0.15% ownership.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a consensus target price of $267.27, amid several recent target changes (e.g., Truist to $300, Wells Fargo lowered to $260).
• Ferguson recently missed quarterly EPS ($1.99 vs. $2.24) while revenue rose 3.6%; the stock trades near $264 with a $51.3B market cap and pays a $0.89 quarterly dividend (1.3% yield, ex-dividend May 15).

PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 289,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,301,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab owned about 0.15% of Ferguson as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atria Investments Inc raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 15,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,459,000 after purchasing an additional 4,259 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,002,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in Ferguson by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 20,523 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,609,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares during the period. Kinetic Partners Management LP raised its stake in Ferguson by 53.4% during the 3rd quarter. Kinetic Partners Management LP now owns 349,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,378,000 after purchasing an additional 121,500 shares during the period. Finally, C WorldWide Group Holding A S raised its stake in Ferguson by 108.8% during the 3rd quarter. C WorldWide Group Holding A S now owns 535,363 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,232,000 after purchasing an additional 278,971 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $267.27.

Ferguson Price Performance

NYSE:FERG opened at $264.13 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.23. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $166.04 and a 1 year high of $271.64. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $243.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.2 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 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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