Fact based stock research
Ferguson (LSE:FERG)

JE00BJVNSS43

How to read the free ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Ferguson stock research in summary

fergusonplc.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 12 (worse than 88% compared with investment alternatives), Ferguson (Trading & Distribution, Switzerland) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Ferguson are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 17 (worse than 83% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 26, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 65). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 12, is a sell recommendation based on Ferguson's financial characteristics. As the company Ferguson shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 17 (83% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 65% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 65). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 26 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for Ferguson, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	17
Growth Rank	65
Safety Rank	26
Combined Rank	12

Country	Switzerland
Industry	Trading & Distribution
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Diversity Europe, Water Tech
Size class	X-Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Ferguson

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	43	21	21	17
GROWTH
GROWTH	99	87	40	65
SAFETY
SAFETY	75	40	34	26
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	31	95	73	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	79	88	29	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Apr-2025. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Ferguson is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	43	21	21	17
GROWTH
GROWTH	99	87	40	65
SAFETY
SAFETY	75	40	34	26
COMBINED
COMBINED	85	54	6	12

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Ferguson the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 17 (worse than 83% compared with alternatives), Ferguson shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Ferguson. Price-to-Sales is 39 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 61% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Ferguson's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 14, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Ferguson. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 19 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 74% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 17, is a sell recommendation based on Ferguson's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Ferguson? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Ferguson? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Ferguson may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	50	40	41	39
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	35	33	28	19
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	22	13	13	14
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	54	26	28	26
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	43	21	21	17

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Ferguson; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 65 (better than 65% compared with alternatives), Ferguson shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Ferguson. Sales Growth has a rank of 66 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 66% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 25% of competitors with a rank of 88. But Profit Growth only has a rank of 25, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 75% of its competitors. And Stock Returns have also been below average with a rank of only 45. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 65, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Profits are sometimes low if the company invests in the future. The positive revenue and capital investment outlook confirms such an interpretation. Both revenues and capital are solid growth indicators, and lower profits in such a case would be encouraging. But the investors see it differently by punishing the share price. Sometimes, Mister Market is not very reliable, because it is not uncommon for it to be volatile. Investors should look out for signs of growth expenditure that could justify low profit growth, and they may also find reasons why recent stock price developments don't confirm the growth outlook of operations. While operating growth indicators are not perfect, they are more reliable indicators for future performance than stock prices that can repeatedly surprise investors. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	87	63	61	66
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	88	54	42	25
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	81	63	63	88
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	61	89	25	45
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	99	87	40	65

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Ferguson.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 26 (better than 26% compared with alternatives), the company Ferguson has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Ferguson is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with all three metrics below average for Ferguson. Liquidity is at 47, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 53% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 27, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 73% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 45 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 55% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 26 (worse than 74% compared with alternatives), Ferguson has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of Ferguson because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	54	26	24	27
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	41	43	41	45
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	100	77	65	47
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	75	40	34	26

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Ferguson and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	41	65	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	2	97	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	61	94	42	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	68	89	100	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	31	95	73	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Ferguson.
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