Ferguson plc $FERG Stock Position Decreased by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. decreased its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,335,549 shares of the company’s stock after selling 197,575 shares during the quarter. Ferguson comprises 1.6% of Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned 1.19% of Ferguson worth $524,518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,341,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,211,692,000 after purchasing an additional 173,128 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% in 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 buying an additional 27,312 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $926,830,000 after acquiring an additional 1,201,493 shares in the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,705,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $806,776,000 after acquiring an additional 100,559 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,442,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $531,769,000 after acquiring an additional 10,615 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In other news, insider James A. Paisley sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.97, for a total transaction of $710,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $523,940.67. This trade represents a 57.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Allison Stirrup sold 969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.23, for a total transaction of $226,968.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,184,735.34. The trade was a 16.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 29,264 shares of company stock worth $6,853,349. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FERG has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $288.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Ferguson from $268.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $250.47.

More Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: ABC boss defends reporting around Tingle and Sarah Ferguson’s Bondi comments — media/celebrity coverage, not related to Ferguson plc. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Soccer item about Evan Ferguson (striker) seeking a fresh start — sports news, no corporate link to FERG. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Stories about Sarah Ferguson considering moving to a granny flat after eviction — celebrity/royal-family coverage, not company-related. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage on Sarah Ferguson potentially moving with daughters — entertainment press, unrelated to Ferguson plc. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Tony Ferguson (MMA) reveals a severe injury during a UFC losing streak — athlete health story, not corporate. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local government piece: “Ferguson proposes borrowing $3 billion for highway maintenance, ferries” — likely a municipal or local-official story, not the UK/US distributor Ferguson plc; monitor only if later tied to company contracts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Celebrity tabloid about Sarah Ferguson considering monetizing royal stories — entertainment/author income story, not corporate. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Tony Ferguson wins a Misfits boxing title in Dubai — sports/entertainment result, no FERG relevance. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Gasperini’s comment about Evan Ferguson aimed at Brighton/Man United — soccer transfer/strategy talk, not related to the company. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Various tabloid stories linking ex-prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, plus other royal-press pieces — celebrity press, no corporate impact. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple sports lifestyle and fantasy-football items referencing Jake Ferguson and Haley Cavinder — athlete coverage, not relevant to the company. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Repeated MMA reporting on Tony Ferguson’s injury and its career impact — athlete-focused reporting, no link to Ferguson plc. Article Title

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE FERG opened at $227.18 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $241.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $230.99. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $146.00 and a 52-week high of $256.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its earnings results 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. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The business had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.45 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.54%.

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.