Ferguson plc $FERG Shares Sold by UBS Group AG

Key Points

• UBS Group AG cut its stake in Ferguson by 28.2% in Q4, selling 129,112 shares and retaining 329,272 shares (about 0.17% of the company) valued at roughly $73.3 million.
• Ferguson missed quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $1.99 vs. $2.24 expected with revenue up ~3.6% year‑over‑year, though analysts still forecast about 11.2 EPS for the full year and a consensus price target of $267.27.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share (annualized $3.56, yield ~1.3%), with an ex‑dividend date of May 15 and payment on July 8.

UBS Group AG lowered its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 28.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 329,272 shares of the company's stock after selling 129,112 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned 0.17% of Ferguson worth $73,306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,418,334 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,323,104,000 after purchasing an additional 102,850 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,437,468 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,000,152,000 after purchasing an additional 81,094 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,367,818 shares of the company's stock valued at $980,921,000 after purchasing an additional 112,157 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 22.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,734,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $838,786,000 after purchasing an additional 682,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Soroban Capital Partners LP raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 100,559 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FERG opened at $264.13 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $166.04 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $243.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $243.82. The company has a market cap of $51.34 billion, a PE ratio of 26.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.23.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share 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 posted $1.52 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.2 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. 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, May 15th. 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: Analyst outlook: Street forecasts still show robust full‑year EPS expectations (consensus ~11.2), and the company retains a strong return on equity, suggesting underlying profitability that could support the stock if execution improves.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple mainstream outlets reported that Sir Alex Ferguson was taken to hospital before the Manchester United vs. Liverpool match. This is a high-profile sports/celebrity story but is unrelated to Ferguson plc’s plumbing/industrial distribution business and should not affect fundamentals. Sir Alex Ferguson taken to hospital before Manchester United vs Liverpool
• Neutral Sentiment: Another consumer/celebrity piece urged Sarah Ferguson to reject multi‑figure tell‑all offers. This item is unrelated to Ferguson plc’s operations and is unlikely to move the stock. Sarah Ferguson urged to reject six-figure tell-all offers
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results missed estimates: FERG reported $1.99 EPS vs. $2.24 expected and only modest revenue growth (≈+3.6% Y/Y). The EPS miss and any signaling in the report/remarks likely drove near‑term selling pressure. Ferguson Trading and Earnings Detail

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $278.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ferguson from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $267.27.

Ferguson Company 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.

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