WINTON GROUP Ltd Buys Shares of 9,200 Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd. acquired 9,200 Ferguson shares worth approximately $2.18 million during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 81.98% of the company, while an insider recently sold 5,177 shares.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Ferguson receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $285.57; several firms recently raised their targets.
• Ferguson exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $3.39 in EPS versus a $3.23 consensus estimate on $8.75 billion in revenue. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share, representing a 1.6% annualized yield.

WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 9,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,183,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raiffeisen Bank International AG increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 350,745.0% during the 4th quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 522,759 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,382,000 after purchasing an additional 522,610 shares during the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 88.5% in the second quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 13,607 shares of the company's stock worth $3,229,000 after buying an additional 6,389 shares during the last quarter. Marsico Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,017,000. Lmcg Investments LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,806,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Ferguson by 13.2% during the second quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 96,108 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,932,000 after buying an additional 11,196 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In related news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total transaction of $1,195,472.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,490 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,191,430.80. This trade represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on FERG. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Zelman & Associates raised Ferguson from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $285.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $261.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $285.57.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE:FERG opened at $222.75 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $234.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $237.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.13. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $207.64 and a 12-month high of $271.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.83%.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc NYSE: FERG is a value-added distributor of plumbing and heating products, water and wastewater solutions, fire protection equipment, HVAC supplies, and related products. The company primarily serves professional contractors and other trade customers, helping them source products, obtain technical support, and manage projects through its distribution network and digital platforms.

Ferguson operates mainly in North America, with businesses serving residential and commercial construction, infrastructure, facilities maintenance, and industrial markets in the United States and Canada.

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