Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Acquires New Stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI bought a new position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $623,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the second quarter worth about $32,000. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 1st quarter valued at about $47,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 2,462.5% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $105,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $378,696.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total transaction of $267,318.75. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $201,750. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $378,696.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $195.50 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $200.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $204.67. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $147.62 and a one year high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.92, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.20.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.85%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.77 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Ferguson from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.50.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.