Triavera Capital LLC Buys 5,170 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Triavera Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,667 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,170 shares during the period. Ferguson comprises approximately 4.7% of Triavera Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Triavera Capital LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $9,582,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 173,128 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position 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 during the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP raised its position in Ferguson by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,705,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $806,776,000 after purchasing an additional 100,559 shares during the last quarter. Egerton Capital UK LLP lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Egerton Capital UK LLP now owns 2,600,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $583,958,000 after buying an additional 366,898 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,442,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $531,769,000 after buying an additional 10,615 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Ferguson to a Rank #2 (Buy), citing improved earnings prospects — a near-term positive catalyst that could attract buyers and support the stock. All You Need to Know About Ferguson plc (FERG) Rating Upgrade to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple high-profile media stories reference “Ferguson” (largely about Sarah, Duchess of York) — these unrelated headlines can create name-driven search and social media noise but are not company-specific fundamentals. Example coverage: ‘Loose Cannon’ Sarah Ferguson Could Expose Royal Family Secrets, Experts Warn and How Sarah Ferguson’s $475K Divorce Payout Made Her ‘Desperate for Money’
• Negative Sentiment: Ferguson reported Q3 EPS of $1.99 on 2/24, missing the consensus of $2.24 (a $0.25 shortfall). That earnings miss is the primary driver of downward pressure — despite solid return on equity (~35.7%) and positive margin trends, the EPS miss and the stock trading below its 50- and 200-day moving averages have prompted selling. (Company results referenced from recent earnings release.)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. UBS Group upped their target price on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.62.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $230.52 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $248.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $240.56. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $44.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.28, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 35.96%.

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.