Stance Capital LLC Invests $1.43 Million in Ferguson plc $FERG

Stance Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 6,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,426,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Ferguson by 23.9% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,000 after acquiring an additional 2,940 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 1st quarter valued at about $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 22.7% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $257,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Ferguson by 55.3% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.1%

FERG stock opened at $225.99 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $248.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.36. The company has a market cap of $43.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.52 earnings per share.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.96%.

Key Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson is a partner in a community education initiative (Accelerating Change Together, ACT) that improved teacher retention in Newport News. This supports local reputation, strengthens relationships with municipal and institutional customers, and is a modest positive for ESG/community goodwill. Teacher Retention Improves in Newport News Public Schools through Accelerating Change Together (ACT) Grant
• Neutral Sentiment: The company disclosed grants of Performance Awards, Restricted Stock Units and Non‑Qualified Stock Options under the 2023 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan to PDMRs on March 12. This aligns management incentives but can be a source of dilution; impact depends on vesting/performance terms—review the filings for specifics. Ferguson Enterprises Inc. (“Company”): Director/PDMR Shareholding
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media items referencing people named “Ferguson” (actors, athletes) are unrelated to Ferguson plc and should have no material effect on the stock. Investors can ignore these for company fundamentals. Example: Rebecca Ferguson streaming/film coverage. Rebecca Ferguson’s 4-Part Sci-Fi Hit Loses Fans Following Final Season Reveal
• Negative Sentiment: Ferguson filed a Definitive Proxy Statement and Transition Report with the SEC on March 16. Proxy/transition filings can signal governance changes or contested matters that increase near‑term volatility and investor uncertainty; review the DEF 14A and transition report for items up for vote or management changes. Ferguson Files Definitive Proxy Materials and Transition Report

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FERG. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.93.

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.