iA Global Asset Management Inc. Acquires Shares of 5,574 Ferguson plc $FERG

iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 145.3% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 51.5% during the 2nd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 230.8% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 61.3% in the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 242 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of 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 reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Ferguson from $267.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of FERG opened at $253.99 on Friday. 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 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $256.93. The stock has a market cap of $49.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.93.

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

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.96%.

More Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s recent fundamentals support the uptick — the company reported a Dec. quarter EPS beat ($2.84 vs. $2.77 expected), year-over-year revenue growth (~5.1%), a healthy net margin (~6.3%) and very strong return on equity (~35.7%). Those results and margins are investor-friendly and help justify a higher share price.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and valuation context is supportive: market cap near $50B, P/E ~24.6, the stock is trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and close to its 52‑week high — momentum and relative strength can attract additional buying from trend-following funds.
• Neutral Sentiment: Most of the recent headlines in the supplied list concern actress Rebecca Ferguson (film reviews, PVOD performance, interviews about AI) and are unrelated to Ferguson plc’s business and fundamentals. Rebecca Ferguson’s $715 Million Sci‑Fi Epic Is Hypnotizing Audiences on PVOD
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional entertainment pieces rank or review Rebecca Ferguson’s films (rankings, mixed reviews, PVOD success) — these drive celebrity media attention only and should not affect FERG’s fundamentals. The 11 best Rebecca Ferguson movies, ranked
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage about Rebecca Ferguson’s film “Mercy” and interviews on AI likewise concern entertainment/PR angles, not the industrial distributor. ‘Mercy’ Stars Chris Pratt And Rebecca Ferguson On The Dangers Of AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Several tabloid/royal-family items referencing Sarah Ferguson and Princess Anne are human-interest stories with no direct link to Ferguson plc’s business performance. Sarah Ferguson is trying to save what’s left of her reputation
• Negative Sentiment: One local-policy item — Gov. Ferguson’s supplemental budget proposing a $15.8M cut to University of Washington operating funds — could modestly affect regional economic activity in WA state. However, the impact on Ferguson plc’s North American distribution business is likely negligible unless larger state-level cuts materialize. Gov. Ferguson’s supplemental budget proposes $15.8 million cut to UW operating funds

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.