Close Asset Management Ltd Lowers Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

Close Asset Management Ltd lowered its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 64.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,123 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,954 shares during the quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $3,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 4.6% in the third quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position 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 worth $66,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 4.5% in the third quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Ferguson News

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on FERG shares. UBS Group upped their price target on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. 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 report on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.62.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE FERG opened at $265.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $51.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $246.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.77.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 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.