Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Acquired by Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. increased its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 8.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 68,883 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,109 shares during the quarter. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $15,470,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 0.9% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,341,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,211,692,000 after acquiring an additional 173,128 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,687,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,673,977,000 after purchasing an additional 27,312 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased 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 period. Soroban Capital Partners LP raised its stake 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 worth $806,776,000 after buying an additional 100,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 10,615 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on FERG. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Ferguson from $268.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE FERG opened at $260.18 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The business has a fifty day moving average of $242.55 and a 200-day moving average of $238.46. The stock has a market cap of $50.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.18.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. 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 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.45 EPS.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Ferguson News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and fundamentals support the stock: Ferguson reported an EPS beat and saw year‑over‑year revenue growth with healthy margins and strong return on equity, which underpins investor confidence. Ferguson Stock Up / Earnings Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: High‑profile media coverage about Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) — several outlets report that six of her companies are being shut down after revelations tied to the Epstein files; this is a reputational/celebrity story and not related to Ferguson plc’s business. Six Sarah Ferguson-linked companies to close
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional celebrity coverage (emails, allegations, commentary suggesting media moves) is circulating about Sarah Ferguson; these stories drive headlines but have no direct bearing on Ferguson plc’s fundamentals or distribution operations. Sarah Ferguson Dissolves Six Businesses
• Neutral Sentiment: Washington state political and weather items: Governor Ferguson (WA) is seeking FEMA aid after December flooding, estimates ~$182M in infrastructure damage, and is backing a “millionaires’ tax” / tax‑holiday proposals — local fiscal/policy developments that could affect state construction and infrastructure activity but are immaterial to Ferguson plc at the company level. Ferguson says December’s record flooding caused $182M in infrastructure damage
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated sports/other mentions (e.g., a player’s ankle injury story using the name Ferguson) appear in feeds but do not affect the company’s stock or outlook. Ferguson continues to struggle with ankle injury

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.