William Blair Issues Negative Outlook for Ferguson Earnings

Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) – Analysts at William Blair dropped their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Ferguson in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, December 10th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now expects that the company will earn $1.60 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.81. The consensus estimate for Ferguson’s current full-year earnings is $9.74 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Ferguson’s Q3 2025 earnings at $2.32 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $3.03 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $9.40 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.86 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.93 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.64 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $3.37 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on FERG. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays dropped their price target on Ferguson from $245.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.00.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.7 %

FERG opened at $190.35 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $38.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $203.89 and its 200 day moving average is $202.46. Ferguson has a fifty-two week low of $180.98 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.85%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.77 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ian T. Graham sold 5,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.27, for a total transaction of $1,162,938.06. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,195,141.26. This represents a 49.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $224,963.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $378,696.04. The trade was a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock valued at $2,477,901 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 37.94%.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.