Ferguson plc
FERG
$248.38 -0.46%
Exchange: NYSE | Sector: Industrials | Industry: Industrial Distribution
Q4 2024
Published: Sep 25, 2024

Earnings Highlights

  • Revenue of $7.95B up 1.4% year-over-year
  • EPS of $2.23 decreased by 22.4% from previous year
  • Gross margin of 31.0%
  • Net income of 451.00M
  • "We deliver scale locally through our vast network of facilities and our fleet of vehicles for final mile delivery. This extensive network places us within 60 miles of 95% of our customers in North America." - Kevin Murphy
FERG
Company FERG

Executive Summary

Ferguson reported a solid fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 (QQ4) with revenue of $7.946 billion, up 1.4% year over year despite ongoing deflation and a modest organic volume backdrop. Adjusted operating profit rose 5.3% to $857 million, delivering an adjusted operating margin of 10.8%. GAAP metrics remained strong, while the reported gross margin firmed to about 31% amid lower inventory reserves. For the full year, Ferguson generated $29.6 billion in revenue (roughly flat YoY) with a gross margin of 30.5% and an adjusted operating margin of 9.5%, supported by disciplined cost management and a resilient end-market mix. Full-year adjusted EPS was $9.69, and net income totaled $451 million for the fourth quarter. Operating cash flow was $1.9 billion for the year, with free cash flow of about $1.5 billion. Ferguson returned $1.4 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, completed 10 acquisitions adding approximately $400 million of incremental annualized revenue, and ended the year with net debt to Adjusted EBITDA around 1.1x, signaling a solid balance sheet to fund growth. Management reaffirmed a constructive medium-term outlook anchored in scale, a diversified end-market exposure, and a strategic push into large-cap projects and dual-trade plumbing/HVAC opportunities. For fiscal 2025, Ferguson guides to low-single-digit revenue growth, 9.0%–9.5% adjusted operating margin, capex of $400–$450 million, an adjusted effective tax rate of ~26%, and maintaining leverage at the low end of a 1x–2x range, underscoring a prudent but growth-oriented plan to capitalize on underbuilt US housing, aging infrastructure, and multi-year non-residential opportunities.

Key Performance Indicators

Revenue
Increasing
7.95B
QoQ: 8.73% | YoY: 1.38%
Gross Profit
Increasing
2.46B
30.97% margin
QoQ: 14.63% | YoY: 2.46%
Operating Income
Increasing
811.00M
QoQ: 27.32% | YoY: 3.71%
Net Income
Decreasing
451.00M
QoQ: 1.81% | YoY: -22.77%
EPS
Decreasing
2.22
QoQ: 1.37% | YoY: -22.38%

Revenue Trend

Margin Analysis

Historical Earnings Comparison

PeriodRevenue ($M)EPS ($)YoY GrowthReport
Q2 2025 6,872.00 1.38 +3.0% View
Q1 2025 7,772.00 2.33 +0.8% View
Q4 2024 7,946.00 2.23 +1.4% View
Q3 2024 7,308.00 2.18 +2.4% View
Q2 2024 6,673.00 1.58 -2.2% View