Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Stock Holdings Lessened by Cantillon Capital Management LLC

Cantillon Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 2.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,696,671 shares of the company’s stock after selling 50,239 shares during the period. Ferguson accounts for approximately 2.1% of Cantillon Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Cantillon Capital Management LLC owned about 0.85% of Ferguson worth $336,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in FERG. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 375.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,289,864 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,218,032,000 after buying an additional 4,966,821 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Ferguson by 589.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,619,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,778,000 after acquiring an additional 1,384,570 shares during the period. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the first quarter valued at $104,723,000. Waverton Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 61.0% in the 2nd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 812,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,293,000 after buying an additional 308,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV bought a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth about $45,850,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total transaction of $295,361.60. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,047,246. The trade was a 22.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total transaction of $1,162,938.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,938 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,195,141.26. This trade represents a 49.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $200.83 on Tuesday. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $164.22 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $199.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $202.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.20.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.85%. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.77 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.38.

Ferguson Company Profile

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.