Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Trims Stock Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership trimmed its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 11.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 670,959 shares of the company’s stock after selling 88,728 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned 0.34% of Ferguson worth $150,684,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 23.9% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,445,000 after buying an additional 2,940 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the first quarter valued at $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 22.7% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock worth $503,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth $257,000. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 30.2% in the 2nd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $646,000 after purchasing an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

More Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several major brokers raised their price targets and ratings, signaling renewed buy-side interest: Barclays bumped its target to $295 and kept an overweight stance. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its target to $285 and maintained an overweight rating, supporting upside expectations for FERG. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer increased its target to $280 with an outperform rating, reinforcing the positive analyst momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management-level strategic targets — a push toward $40B revenue and 10%+ margins — provide a clear long‑term growth/margin story that supports higher valuations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media items reference people and places named “Ferguson” (celebrity and local crime stories) that are unrelated to the company and are unlikely to affect corporate fundamentals. Example coverage: celebrity/epstein-related articles and unrelated local news. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on FERG. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays raised their price objective on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.62.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.7%

FERG stock opened at $265.10 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $246.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.77. 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 market capitalization of $51.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.78, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.18. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 35.96%.

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.