Dudley & Shanley Inc. Grows Stock Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Dudley & Shanley Inc. lifted its holdings in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 38.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 104,175 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 28,675 shares during the period. Ferguson makes up about 3.7% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Dudley & Shanley Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $23,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 178.3% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 154.4% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $223.06 on Tuesday. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two 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 company has a market capitalization of $43.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $247.73 and a 200 day moving average of $240.02.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.96%.

More Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Sarah Ferguson denies reports she planned to clone Queen Elizabeth’s corgis for a reality TV project — multiple outlets report statements from her reps pushing back on the rumors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage repeating Ferguson’s denial and reps’ clarifications about cloning claims. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Further media pieces investigating the cloning rumor and reporting reps’ pushback. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage focusing on Ferguson’s rep clarifying that reports about cloned royal dogs are inaccurate. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Fox News and other outlets run similar items quoting Ferguson’s team denying involvement in a cloning reality show. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-form recap articles reporting the official statement that the cloning-for-TV rumor is false. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Other unrelated items: an interview mention of Rebecca Ferguson’s potential Peaky Blinders return. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local political coverage about Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signing bills and meeting the NBA commissioner (state politics, unrelated to the company). Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: BBC coverage noting Sarah Ferguson keeping a low profile amid calls for testimony in an unrelated high-profile investigation. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Human-interest piece about Sarah Ferguson recalling advice from Queen Elizabeth. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investor-relevant note: Ferguson plc reported an EPS miss on Feb 24 (EPS $1.99 vs. $2.24 expected) even as revenue rose ~3.6% YoY — this fundamental miss could weigh on sentiment despite today’s uptick in the share price.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ferguson from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.93.

Ferguson Company Profile

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.