Alpine Global Management LLC Purchases New Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $511,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter valued at $395,401,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 39.3% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,255,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,830,000 after purchasing an additional 1,201,493 shares in the last quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth about $244,561,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 588.1% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,087,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,236,000 after purchasing an additional 929,475 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Ferguson by 22.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,734,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,786,000 after buying an additional 682,666 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson is a partner in a community education initiative (Accelerating Change Together, ACT) that improved teacher retention in Newport News. This supports local reputation, strengthens relationships with municipal and institutional customers, and is a modest positive for ESG/community goodwill. Teacher Retention Improves in Newport News Public Schools through Accelerating Change Together (ACT) Grant
• Neutral Sentiment: The company disclosed grants of Performance Awards, Restricted Stock Units and Non‑Qualified Stock Options under the 2023 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan to PDMRs on March 12. This aligns management incentives but can be a source of dilution; impact depends on vesting/performance terms—review the filings for specifics. Ferguson Enterprises Inc. (“Company”): Director/PDMR Shareholding
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media items referencing people named “Ferguson” (actors, athletes) are unrelated to Ferguson plc and should have no material effect on the stock. Investors can ignore these for company fundamentals. Example: Rebecca Ferguson streaming/film coverage. Rebecca Ferguson’s 4-Part Sci-Fi Hit Loses Fans Following Final Season Reveal
• Negative Sentiment: Ferguson filed a Definitive Proxy Statement and Transition Report with the SEC on March 16. Proxy/transition filings can signal governance changes or contested matters that increase near‑term volatility and investor uncertainty; review the DEF 14A and transition report for items up for vote or management changes. Ferguson Files Definitive Proxy Materials and Transition Report

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.93.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of FERG stock opened at $225.99 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a market cap of $43.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.83, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $146.00 and a 1 year high of $271.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $248.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $240.36.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.96%.

Ferguson Company 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.