Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Purchased by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 3.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,900 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,208 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $16,821,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 173,128 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,687,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,673,977,000 after purchasing an additional 27,312 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,201,493 shares during the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,705,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $806,776,000 after buying an additional 100,559 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% during 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 last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FERG. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two equities 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.62.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $265.10 on Friday. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $246.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.77. The company has a market capitalization of $51.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.78, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.18.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.52 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Key Headlines Impacting Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several major brokers raised their price targets and ratings, signaling renewed buy-side interest: Barclays bumped its target to $295 and kept an overweight stance. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its target to $285 and maintained an overweight rating, supporting upside expectations for FERG. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer increased its target to $280 with an outperform rating, reinforcing the positive analyst momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management-level strategic targets — a push toward $40B revenue and 10%+ margins — provide a clear long‑term growth/margin story that supports higher valuations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media items reference people and places named “Ferguson” (celebrity and local crime stories) that are unrelated to the company and are unlikely to affect corporate fundamentals. Example coverage: celebrity/epstein-related articles and unrelated local news. Article Title

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.