DAVENPORT & Co LLC Has $7.13 Million Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

DAVENPORT & Co LLC lessened its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 22.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,039 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,325 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $7,133,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB raised its stake in Ferguson by 124.8% in the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 41,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,184,000 after purchasing an additional 22,903 shares in the last quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. raised its stake in Ferguson by 38.0% in the fourth quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 104,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,192,000 after purchasing an additional 28,675 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in Ferguson by 154.4% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC lifted its position in Ferguson by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC now owns 20,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,486,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Sarah Ferguson (the Duchess of York) has been stripped of the Freedom of the City of York amid renewed public scrutiny; largely a reputational/celebrity story with no direct bearing on Ferguson plc. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Profile piece alleges Sarah Ferguson is deliberately staying silent amid the Epstein scandal; celebrity coverage, not related to the plumbing/HVAC distributor. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Article recounts fresh negative attention on Sarah Ferguson as past ties resurface; a reputational story for the individual, not the company. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A retrospective on Sarah Ferguson’s past scandals — background/celebrity content with no corporate impact on Ferguson plc. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Rebecca Ferguson’s film Mercy finding streaming success on Prime Video — entertainment news about an actress, not the UK distributor. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Piece on Sarah Ferguson and the dog-cloning trend — human-interest/celebrity item unrelated to Ferguson plc’s operations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Priscilla Presley publicly supports Sarah Ferguson amid the scandal — social support story for the individual, not a corporate signal. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local political coverage: an official named Ferguson comments on an NBA expansion announcement; local politics — no direct link to Ferguson plc. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local news item: a politician named Ferguson signs a state law undoing an estate tax increase — regional policy news, not company-specific. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Tabloid suggestion that Sarah Ferguson consider reality TV as a lifeline — entertainment/celebrity speculation, irrelevant to Ferguson plc’s fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage praising Rebecca Ferguson’s sci‑fi film as a developing cult classic on streaming — entertainment trend, not linked to the company. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Company fundamentals/market drivers: Ferguson plc missed consensus EPS in its Feb 24 quarter ($1.99 vs. $2.24), revenue grew only modestly (≈3.6% YoY), and the shares are trading below the 50-day moving average — these factors, plus lower-than-average volume and profit-taking, are the most likely reasons for today’s share decline.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.93.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $221.70 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $271.64. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $43.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.39, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.52 EPS.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.96%.

About Ferguson

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.