Brokerages Set Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Price Target at $220.64

Key Points

• Ferguson plc has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from sixteen research firms, with ten firms issuing a buy rating and six a hold rating.
• Analyst price objectives for Ferguson's stock range from $215 to $250, with an average target of $220.64.
• Ferguson recently announced a dividend of $0.83 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 1.5% and a payout ratio of 41.40%.

Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $220.6429.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on FERG. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ferguson from $173.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG stock traded up $3.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $225.34. 715,235 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,759,918. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.43 billion, a PE ratio of 27.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.16. Ferguson has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $228.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $214.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $186.40.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.44. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. Ferguson's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ferguson will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Friday, June 20th will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. Ferguson's payout ratio is presently 41.40%.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Ferguson by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock worth $928,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Ferguson by 24.0% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 3,393 shares of the company's stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp increased its holdings in Ferguson by 37.5% during the 1st quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 13,042 shares of the company's stock worth $2,090,000 after purchasing an additional 3,559 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP increased its holdings in Ferguson by 13.5% during the 1st quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 1,251,631 shares of the company's stock worth $200,549,000 after purchasing an additional 148,891 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ferguson by 40.3% during the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 35,015 shares of the company's stock worth $5,610,000 after purchasing an additional 10,064 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ferguson

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.