R Squared Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in Ferguson plc $FERG

R Squared Ltd boosted its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 246.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,626 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,133 shares during the period. Ferguson comprises about 0.8% of R Squared Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. R Squared Ltd’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $1,937,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FERG. Xponance Inc. grew its position in Ferguson by 2.0% in the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 22,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,079,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. DNB Asset Management AS raised its position in Ferguson by 2.7% during the third quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 74,674 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,963 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 13.9% during the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 3,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 74,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,821,000 after purchasing an additional 2,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 205,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,112,000 after purchasing an additional 13,578 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on FERG. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.62.

Key Ferguson News

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 Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:FERG opened at $265.10 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $246.50 and a 200 day moving average of $239.77. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

About Ferguson

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.