Curated Wealth Partners LLC Sells 44,485 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Curated Wealth Partners cut its Ferguson stake by 96.2%, selling 44,485 shares and retaining 1,755 shares valued at approximately $391,000.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 81.98%, with several major investors—including Man Group, Bank of America, Pictet Asset Management and Royal London—adding to their positions.
• Ferguson reported quarterly EPS of $3.39, exceeding the $3.23 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $285.78, compared with the stock’s recent price of $231.42.

Curated Wealth Partners LLC trimmed its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 96.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,755 shares of the company's stock after selling 44,485 shares during the period. Curated Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Ferguson were worth $391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter worth approximately $1,789,368,000. Man Group plc boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 613.8% in the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 401,395 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,263,000 after purchasing an additional 345,165 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 43.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,029,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $240,234,000 after purchasing an additional 312,756 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in Ferguson by 9.2% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,868,181 shares of the company's stock worth $668,809,000 after purchasing an additional 240,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in Ferguson by 31.5% in the second quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 919,100 shares of the company's stock worth $218,130,000 after purchasing an additional 220,168 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several research reports. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Ferguson from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Ferguson from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $285.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $285.78.

Key Headlines Impacting Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s most recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $3.39 versus the $3.23 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $285.78, well above recent trading levels, which may support investor confidence.
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to offer shareholder returns through its quarterly dividend, equivalent to $3.56 annually and a yield of approximately 1.6%. Ferguson also retains strong profitability, including a reported 37.24% return on equity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several Ferguson executives and insiders reported stock sales during the week, including COO William Thees Jr., VP Anthony Camposano, Ian Graham, Jake Schlicher, Allison Stirrup and Kevin Murphy. The reported transactions involved thousands of shares and several million dollars in aggregate proceeds. Ferguson insider trading report
• Neutral Sentiment: All of the disclosed sales were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. That reduces their significance as a signal that management expects Ferguson’s business or valuation to weaken, particularly because the sellers retained substantial positions.
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of insider selling could nevertheless create modest near-term pressure on sentiment and may limit the stock’s upside, especially with Ferguson trading below its 200-day moving average.

Insider Activity at Ferguson

In other Ferguson news, insider Kevin Murphy sold 11,259 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total transaction of $2,440,726.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 173,863 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,690,021.14. This trade represents a 6.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO William Brundage sold 5,986 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total transaction of $1,309,377.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 54,908 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,010,575.92. The trade was a 9.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 37,711 shares of company stock worth $8,319,277 in the last ninety days. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of FERG stock opened at $231.42 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $212.13 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.77 billion, a PE ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.73. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $228.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $234.52.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 6.82%. Equities analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is 41.83%.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc NYSE: FERG is a North American distributor of plumbing and heating products, supplying professional customers across the residential, commercial, industrial and infrastructure markets. The company serves contractors, builders, remodelers, municipalities, industrial businesses and other trade professionals through branch locations, distribution centers and digital ordering platforms.

Its product offerings include plumbing supplies and fixtures, heating and cooling equipment, water and wastewater products, fire protection systems, waterworks materials, industrial piping and related maintenance, repair and operating supplies.

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