Barclays PLC Has $508.14 Million Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,262,619 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 292,723 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $508,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atria Investments Inc raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 38.2% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 15,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,459,000 after buying an additional 4,259 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at $1,002,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in Ferguson by 11.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 20,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,609,000 after acquiring an additional 2,145 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth $1,252,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 21.0% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 322,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,522,000 after acquiring an additional 55,981 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

More Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Ferguson plc to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), noting improving earnings prospects; this upgrade can attract buyers and short-term inflows. All You Need to Know About Ferguson plc (FERG) Rating Upgrade to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Numerous media items mention people named “Ferguson” (e.g., Sarah Ferguson / celebrity coverage, sports items) that are unrelated to Ferguson plc’s business and should be treated as noise for FERG investors — these are not company developments and are unlikely to affect fundamentals. Royal Fallout: Sarah Ferguson Scrutinized After Prince Andrew’s Arrest
• Neutral Sentiment: A BusinessWire filing referenced “Ferguson Enterprises Inc.” director shareholding — this pertains to a U.S. company (Ferguson Enterprises) and not Ferguson plc (FERG) listed on the NYSE; investors in FERG should not conflate the two. Ferguson Enterprises Inc. (“Company”): Director/PDMR Shareholding
• Negative Sentiment: Company fundamentals remain a near-term headwind: Ferguson reported 1.99 EPS for the most recent quarter (miss vs. consensus ~2.24), with only 3.6% revenue growth year-over-year — that earnings miss and modest top-line growth are the primary drivers of selling pressure. (Company quarter reported Feb. 24.)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.62.

Ferguson Stock Down 2.9%

NYSE FERG opened at $239.86 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $248.62 and a 200-day moving average of $240.57.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. The firm’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 firm posted $1.52 earnings per share.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.96%.

About Ferguson

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.