26,089 Shares in Ferguson plc $FERG Bought by Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky

Key Points

• Teachers Retirement System of Kentucky initiated a new position in Ferguson in Q4, buying 26,089 shares (~$5.81M); overall institutional ownership is ~81.98%, with Vanguard and Munich Re notably increasing their stakes.
• Ferguson missed the most recent quarterly EPS ($1.99 vs. $2.24 consensus) while revenue rose 3.6%; the stock has a market cap of $51.17B, a P/E of ~26.6, and pays a $0.89 quarterly dividend (annual $3.56, ~1.4% yield).
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but tilted positive, with a MarketBeat average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $267.27, while sources like Barron’s have called the shares potentially undervalued with meaningful upside.

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky bought a new position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 26,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,808,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,418,334 shares of the company's stock worth $4,323,104,000 after purchasing an additional 102,850 shares during the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich raised its stake in Ferguson by 727.0% in the fourth quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich now owns 316,230 shares of the company's stock worth $71,324,000 after buying an additional 277,990 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth about $516,000. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,646 shares of the company's stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN grew its holdings in Ferguson by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 1,368 shares of the company's stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $263.24 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. The company has a market cap of $51.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.21. The firm's fifty day moving average is $243.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $243.08. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $165.10 and a 52-week high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) 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 net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 40.37%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders 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 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.96%.

Key Stories Impacting Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s published a bullish note arguing Ferguson’s shares remain undervalued and could gain roughly 25% over the next 12–18 months, citing the company’s scale in plumbing/hVAC distribution and margin recovery potential. This Plumbing Supplier's Stock Is Still Too Cheap
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent headlines mentioning “Ferguson” relate to people or the city of Ferguson (local government votes on data-center tax breaks, celebrity stories) and are unrelated to Ferguson plc’s business — these can create noise but not company-specific fundamental impact. Representative example: local data-center vote coverage. Ferguson delays vote on tax incentives for $1.8B data center project
• Negative Sentiment: Ferguson reported Q3 results that missed EPS expectations (reported $1.99 vs. $2.24 consensus) and showed modest revenue growth; that earnings miss is a near-term driver of downward pressure and investor caution. Key fundamentals from public filings and market pages: net margin ~6.9%, ROE ~40%, P/E ~26.6 and a PEG ~2.13 — factors investors watch for growth/valuation trade-offs. Ferguson Stock Profile

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ferguson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $267.27.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FERG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.