Silvant Capital Management LLC Has $3.97 Million Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Silvant Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 37.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,078 shares during the quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,974,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 80.1% during the first quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 32,811 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,166,000 after purchasing an additional 14,590 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 303.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $904,000 after acquiring an additional 3,423 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Ferguson by 14.5% in the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 75,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,493,000 after acquiring an additional 9,562 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter valued at $2,834,000. Finally, Duality Advisers LP bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 1st quarter worth about $5,016,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In other news, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at $378,696.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Michael Jacobs sold 2,624 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.96, for a total transaction of $527,319.04. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,271.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $378,696.04. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FERG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Ferguson from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays boosted their target price on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Oppenheimer began coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $232.50.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ FERG opened at $197.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $154.61 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $198.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $203.63. The company has a market capitalization of $39.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.20.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly 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. 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 analysts’ expectations of $8.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.77 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.