Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Grows Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 3.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,900 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,208 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $16,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in Ferguson by 3.5% during the second quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of FERG opened at $265.10 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $271.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $246.50 and a 200 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 company has a market capitalization of $51.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.18.

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 business’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.52 EPS.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

Ferguson News Summary

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

FERG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Barclays increased their price target on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. 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 issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.62.

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.