Teacher Retirement System of Texas Decreases Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its Ferguson holding by 25.3%, selling 26,578 shares and leaving it with 78,484 shares valued at about $17.47 million.
• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $267.27, though views diverge (Truist raised its target to $300 while Wells Fargo lowered theirs to $260) and Weiss Ratings upgraded the stock to a buy.
• Ferguson recently missed Q3 EPS ($1.99 vs. $2.24 consensus) despite modest revenue growth; the company shows a high ROE (~40%), a P/E around 26.6, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89 (annualized $3.56, yield ~1.4%).

Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its position in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) by 25.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 78,484 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,578 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Ferguson were worth $17,473,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 4.6% during the third quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 992 shares of the company's stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,979 shares of the company's stock valued at $886,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.5% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company's stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 21.7% during the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 292 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the company's stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ferguson from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $267.27.

Key Ferguson News

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

Ferguson Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of FERG stock opened at $263.24 on Friday. The stock 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. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $165.10 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $242.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 40.37% and a net margin of 6.93%.Ferguson's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given 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 is Friday, March 6th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.96%.

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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