Markel Group Inc. Acquires 16,500 Shares of Ferguson plc $FERG

Posted by Stanley Muller on May 23rd, 2026

Markel Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG – Free Report) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 163,500 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,500 shares during the quarter. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $36,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of FERG. Durable Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $244,561,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in Ferguson by 588.1% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,087,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,236,000 after purchasing an additional 929,475 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Ferguson by 22.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,734,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $838,786,000 after purchasing an additional 682,666 shares in the last quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP increased its stake in Ferguson by 114.7% during the 3rd quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP now owns 1,255,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $281,879,000 after purchasing an additional 670,473 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 502.8% during the 3rd quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 765,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $171,967,000 after acquiring an additional 638,692 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on FERG. UBS Group upped their price target on Ferguson from $220.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Ferguson from $271.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Ferguson from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Ferguson from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.73.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Ferguson

Ferguson Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:FERG opened at $223.37 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $43.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.23. 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 twelve month low of $176.26 and a twelve month high of $271.64. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $240.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $242.81.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $7.47 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 38.92% and a net margin of 6.98%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.50 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.40%.

Ferguson announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, May 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

About Ferguson

(Free Report)

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.