Bank of New York Mellon Corp Lowers Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its holdings in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,518,440 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,169,171 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,463,911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position 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 last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 39.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its holdings 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 valued at $806,776,000 after purchasing an additional 100,559 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 5.4% during the second quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,533,124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $551,588,000 after purchasing an additional 130,597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,442,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $531,769,000 after purchasing an additional 10,615 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Sarah Ferguson’s memoir process and use of diaries — celebrity/entertainment item with no link to Ferguson plc. Sarah Ferguson’s Diaries Could Be the ‘Backbone’ of Her Memoir — Source
• Neutral Sentiment: Article urging Andrew and Sarah Ferguson to move abroad amid family changes — entertainment/royal-family gossip, not company-related. Andrew and Sarah Ferguson urged to move abroad amid ‘seismic change’ with Beatrice and Eugenie
• Neutral Sentiment: Brief entertainment item about Jesse Tyler Ferguson sharing an anecdote — unrelated to the company. Jesse Tyler Ferguson shares Nathan Lane’s unhinged remark to his 5-year-old son
• Neutral Sentiment: Report on Rebecca Ferguson’s sci‑fi film performing well with audiences despite weak critic scores — entertainment/box office news, not corporate. Rebecca Ferguson’s Sci-Fi Thriller Is Officially a Massive Audience Hit Despite Weak Rotten Tomatoes Score
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage about Sarah Ferguson leaving Royal Lodge and personal concerns — celebrity/real estate coverage with no corporate relevance. Sarah Ferguson’s Royal Lodge Exit ‘Jarring’ for Her — Source
• Neutral Sentiment: Local reporting on officials “preparing for worst-case” ICE enforcement — refers to local governance/immigration enforcement (names include Ferguson/Brown) and not Ferguson plc. Ferguson and Brown prepare for “worst-case” ICE crackdown
• Neutral Sentiment: State official outlines effort to mitigate ICE harms — political/legal story about public policy, unrelated to Ferguson plc’s operations. Gov. Ferguson outlines effort to ‘mitigate the harms inflicted by ICE’
• Neutral Sentiment: Report of Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor and Sarah Ferguson separating after ending a domestic pact — personal/royal-family news, not business-related. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson separate again after 30-year domestic pact ends
• Neutral Sentiment: Article about Sarah Ferguson being worried about maintaining her lifestyle after vacating Royal Lodge — celebrity finance/real estate angle, not corporate. Sarah Ferguson ‘seriously worried’ about maintaining her lifestyle
• Neutral Sentiment: Exclusive on Sarah Ferguson’s new modest residence after leaving a high‑value property — tabloid real‑estate piece, no relevance to the stock. EXCLUSIVE: Inside the VERY Humble Abode Sarah Ferguson Seems ‘Doomed’ to Occupy As She and Andrew FINALLY Vacate $40Million Royal Lodge
• Neutral Sentiment: Light entertainment piece about a ‘Modern Family’ reunion including Jesse Tyler Ferguson — unrelated to Ferguson plc. ‘Modern Family’ Reunion: Julie Bowen and Jesse Tyler Ferguson Share Heartwarming Photos and a New Look

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Vertical Research began coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, October 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $291.99 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ferguson from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.00.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE FERG opened at $251.54 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $237.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.43. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $256.93. The company has a market cap of $49.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.18. 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 (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The company had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

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

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.