Fieldview Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Fieldview Capital bought a new stake of 14,506 shares in Ferguson worth about $3.26 million, joining other institutions that have recently increased holdings; institutional investors now own 81.98% of the stock.
• Ferguson reported Q3 EPS of $1.99, missing the consensus of $2.24 by $0.25, and the stock traded down ~3.9%, sitting below its 50- and 200-day moving averages.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $262.62 price target after several firms raised estimates, and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89 (annualized $3.56, ~1.5% yield).

Fieldview Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 14,506 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,258,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of FERG. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,341,871 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,211,692,000 after buying an additional 173,128 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Ferguson by 39.3% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,255,661 shares of the company's stock worth $926,830,000 after acquiring an additional 1,201,493 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 2.8% in the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,705,056 shares of the company's stock worth $806,776,000 after acquiring an additional 100,559 shares during the last quarter. Egerton Capital UK LLP lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 16.4% in the third quarter. Egerton Capital UK LLP now owns 2,600,224 shares of the company's stock worth $583,958,000 after acquiring an additional 366,898 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in Ferguson by 0.4% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,442,107 shares of the company's stock valued at $531,769,000 after acquiring an additional 10,615 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on FERG. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $262.62.

Ferguson Trading Down 3.9%

Shares of FERG stock opened at $230.52 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $248.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $240.69. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.28 and a beta of 1.17. 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 (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a return on equity of 40.37% and a net margin of 6.93%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Ferguson's payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

Key Headlines Impacting Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Ferguson to a Rank #2 (Buy), citing improved earnings prospects — a near-term positive catalyst that could attract buyers and support the stock. All You Need to Know About Ferguson plc (FERG) Rating Upgrade to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple high-profile media stories reference “Ferguson” (largely about Sarah, Duchess of York) — these unrelated headlines can create name-driven search and social media noise but are not company-specific fundamentals. Example coverage: 'Loose Cannon' Sarah Ferguson Could Expose Royal Family Secrets, Experts Warn and How Sarah Ferguson's $475K Divorce Payout Made Her 'Desperate for Money'
• Negative Sentiment: Ferguson reported Q3 EPS of $1.99 on 2/24, missing the consensus of $2.24 (a $0.25 shortfall). That earnings miss is the primary driver of downward pressure — despite solid return on equity (~35.7%) and positive margin trends, the EPS miss and the stock trading below its 50- and 200-day moving averages have prompted selling. (Company results referenced from recent earnings release.)

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.

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