Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Sold by GW&K Investment Management LLC

GW&K Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 192,546 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,347 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned 0.10% of Ferguson worth $43,242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Atria Investments Inc increased its stake in Ferguson by 38.2% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 15,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,459,000 after acquiring an additional 4,259 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,002,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its holdings in Ferguson by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 20,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,609,000 after buying an additional 2,145 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in Ferguson by 21.0% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 322,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,522,000 after buying an additional 55,981 shares during the last quarter. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth about $1,252,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE FERG opened at $247.27 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $48.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.17. 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 $271.64. The company has a fifty day moving average of $248.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.57.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly 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 firm’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.52 EPS.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Director/PDMR notification for Ferguson Enterprises Inc. — a filing names Kelly Baker and notifies transactions by a director/PDMR. These filings are standard corporate disclosures; unless it shows a material insider purchase or sale (the release here is procedural) it’s unlikely to move long‑term fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple media stories about public figures named Ferguson (Sarah Ferguson, Rebecca Ferguson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and sports injury coverage about a player named Ferguson — high profile but unrelated to Ferguson plc’s operations, so unlikely to affect FERG’s fundamentals. Representative links: Sarah Ferguson comeback article and Sports injury article
• Negative Sentiment: Prior quarter earnings miss remains the most relevant company-specific factor: Ferguson reported $1.99 EPS vs. $2.24 consensus, revenue up ~3.6% year-over-year, with net margin ~6.3% and ROE ~35.7%. That earnings shortfall and mixed top-line strength help explain muted investor enthusiasm and keeps downside risk if guidance or margins disappoint again. (Background: FERG earnings release, Feb. 24.)
• Negative Sentiment: Media noise and name confusion risk — a high volume of unrelated “Ferguson” headlines can create short‑term retail confusion or headline-driven volatility. This is a market-micro impact rather than a fundamentals issue. Example: royal/celebrity coverage that has no corporate link. Royal fallout article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.62.

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.