BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Buys 24,950 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 70.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,289 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,950 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $13,540,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atria Investments Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 38.2% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 15,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,459,000 after purchasing an additional 4,259 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $1,002,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in Ferguson by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 20,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,609,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares during the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,252,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 322,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,522,000 after buying an additional 55,981 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:FERG opened at $257.40 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.00, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $243.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $238.59.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company 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 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FERG. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $268.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.00.

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.