GW&K Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

GW&K Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 192,546 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,347 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $43,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 23.9% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,445,000 after purchasing an additional 2,940 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 1st quarter worth $310,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 22.7% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock worth $503,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth $257,000. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter valued at about $238,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on FERG shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Ferguson from $247.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen cut Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.62.

Key Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Director/PDMR notification for Ferguson Enterprises Inc. — a filing names Kelly Baker and notifies transactions by a director/PDMR. These filings are standard corporate disclosures; unless it shows a material insider purchase or sale (the release here is procedural) it’s unlikely to move long‑term fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple media stories about public figures named Ferguson (Sarah Ferguson, Rebecca Ferguson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and sports injury coverage about a player named Ferguson — high profile but unrelated to Ferguson plc’s operations, so unlikely to affect FERG’s fundamentals. Representative links: Sarah Ferguson comeback article and Sports injury article
• Negative Sentiment: Prior quarter earnings miss remains the most relevant company-specific factor: Ferguson reported $1.99 EPS vs. $2.24 consensus, revenue up ~3.6% year-over-year, with net margin ~6.3% and ROE ~35.7%. That earnings shortfall and mixed top-line strength help explain muted investor enthusiasm and keeps downside risk if guidance or margins disappoint again. (Background: FERG earnings release, Feb. 24.)
• Negative Sentiment: Media noise and name confusion risk — a high volume of unrelated “Ferguson” headlines can create short‑term retail confusion or headline-driven volatility. This is a market-micro impact rather than a fundamentals issue. Example: royal/celebrity coverage that has no corporate link. Royal fallout article

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE FERG opened at $247.27 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $248.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.57. The company has a market capitalization of $48.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.98, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.25). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.96%.

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.