Quilter Plc Cuts Stake in Ferguson plc $FERG

Quilter Plc trimmed its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 6.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 92,619 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,600 shares during the quarter. Quilter Plc’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $20,800,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in Ferguson by 11.7% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 20,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,609,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 68.9% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 239,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,230,000 after buying an additional 97,791 shares during the period. Fisher Funds Management LTD raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD now owns 160,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,029,000 after buying an additional 10,426 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd lifted its position in Ferguson by 52.5% during the 3rd quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 589,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,492,000 after acquiring an additional 203,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,135,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $253.99 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $256.93. The company has a market cap of $49.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The firm had revenue of $8.17 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on FERG shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Barclays increased their price target on Ferguson from $267.00 to $278.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.00.

Key Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s recent fundamentals support the uptick — the company reported a Dec. quarter EPS beat ($2.84 vs. $2.77 expected), year-over-year revenue growth (~5.1%), a healthy net margin (~6.3%) and very strong return on equity (~35.7%). Those results and margins are investor-friendly and help justify a higher share price.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and valuation context is supportive: market cap near $50B, P/E ~24.6, the stock is trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and close to its 52‑week high — momentum and relative strength can attract additional buying from trend-following funds.
• Neutral Sentiment: Most of the recent headlines in the supplied list concern actress Rebecca Ferguson (film reviews, PVOD performance, interviews about AI) and are unrelated to Ferguson plc’s business and fundamentals. Rebecca Ferguson’s $715 Million Sci‑Fi Epic Is Hypnotizing Audiences on PVOD
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional entertainment pieces rank or review Rebecca Ferguson’s films (rankings, mixed reviews, PVOD success) — these drive celebrity media attention only and should not affect FERG’s fundamentals. The 11 best Rebecca Ferguson movies, ranked
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage about Rebecca Ferguson’s film “Mercy” and interviews on AI likewise concern entertainment/PR angles, not the industrial distributor. ‘Mercy’ Stars Chris Pratt And Rebecca Ferguson On The Dangers Of AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Several tabloid/royal-family items referencing Sarah Ferguson and Princess Anne are human-interest stories with no direct link to Ferguson plc’s business performance. Sarah Ferguson is trying to save what’s left of her reputation
• Negative Sentiment: One local-policy item — Gov. Ferguson’s supplemental budget proposing a $15.8M cut to University of Washington operating funds — could modestly affect regional economic activity in WA state. However, the impact on Ferguson plc’s North American distribution business is likely negligible unless larger state-level cuts materialize. Gov. Ferguson’s supplemental budget proposes $15.8 million cut to UW operating funds

Ferguson 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.