7,506 Shares in Ferguson plc $FERG Bought by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 7,506 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,686,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Ferguson by 0.9% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,341,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,211,692,000 after acquiring an additional 173,128 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,687,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,673,977,000 after purchasing an additional 27,312 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 39.3% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,255,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,830,000 after purchasing an additional 1,201,493 shares during the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,705,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $806,776,000 after purchasing an additional 100,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,442,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $531,769,000 after buying an additional 10,615 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of FERG stock opened at $257.40 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $271.64. The stock has a market cap of $50.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $243.14 and a 200 day moving average of $238.59. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. The business had revenue of $8.17 billion for the quarter. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.45 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $268.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $267.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

Ferguson News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.89 per share (record date Mar 6, payable Apr 30), implying a ~1.4% yield — supports income-oriented demand and signals management confidence in cash flow.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintain a constructive stance — consensus “Moderate Buy” rating was published this week, which can help underwrite share support. Analyst Note
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals remain solid from the prior quarter (EPS beat, mid-single-digit revenue growth, healthy ROE), providing a fundamental floor for the shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume is a bit below average and the stock is trading above its 50- and 200-day moving averages — momentum remains intact but trading is light, so moves can be amplified.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several headlines in the feed reference other people named “Ferguson” (e.g., stories about Sarah Ferguson and Governor Ferguson) — these are media noise unrelated to Ferguson plc and unlikely to affect fundamentals. Example Non-Company Article
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is not cheap (PE ~25; PEG ~2.2) and the shares sit near their 52-week high — this can prompt short-term profit-taking and cap upside until new growth catalysts appear.

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.