BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Acquires 24,950 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its holdings in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 70.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,289 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 24,950 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $13,540,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co increased its holdings in Ferguson by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Ferguson by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 21.7% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 4.5% in the third quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on FERG shares. Barclays upped their price target on Ferguson from $267.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE:FERG opened at $257.40 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $243.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $238.59. 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.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the company posted $2.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. 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: Company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.89 per share (record date Mar 6, payable Apr 30), implying a ~1.4% yield — supports income-oriented demand and signals management confidence in cash flow.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintain a constructive stance — consensus “Moderate Buy” rating was published this week, which can help underwrite share support. Analyst Note
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals remain solid from the prior quarter (EPS beat, mid-single-digit revenue growth, healthy ROE), providing a fundamental floor for the shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume is a bit below average and the stock is trading above its 50- and 200-day moving averages — momentum remains intact but trading is light, so moves can be amplified.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several headlines in the feed reference other people named “Ferguson” (e.g., stories about Sarah Ferguson and Governor Ferguson) — these are media noise unrelated to Ferguson plc and unlikely to affect fundamentals. Example Non-Company Article
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is not cheap (PE ~25; PEG ~2.2) and the shares sit near their 52-week high — this can prompt short-term profit-taking and cap upside until new growth catalysts appear.

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.