Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Takes $702,000 Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 3,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $702,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 303.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $904,000 after acquiring an additional 3,423 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,834,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,379,000. Entropy Technologies LP raised its position in Ferguson by 66.2% during the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 51,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,256,000 after purchasing an additional 20,580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 380.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 159,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,309,000 after buying an additional 126,242 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on FERG shares. UBS Group upped their target price on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.38.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total value of $267,318.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $201,750. This represents a 56.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,047,246. The trade was a 22.00 % 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 valued at $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $212.51 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market cap of $42.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $201.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $202.58. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $166.21 and a 52 week high of $225.63.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.05%.

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.