Metis Global Partners LLC Sells 225 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Metis Global Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,744 shares of the company’s stock after selling 225 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,337,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter worth $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter worth about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group raised their target price on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total value of $527,319.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,116 shares in the company, valued at $224,271.36. The trade was a 70.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at $378,696.04. This represents a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $199.94 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $199.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $203.14. The firm has a market cap of $40.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.44, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $163.03 and a one year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. The firm 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%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.77 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.05%.

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.