Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seventeen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $222.60.

Several equities analysts have commented on FERG shares. Citigroup dropped their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Barclays increased their target price on Ferguson from $190.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Berenberg Bank reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up from $195.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Monday, June 9th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ferguson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in Ferguson by 247.4% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 166.7% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 56.5% during the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 205 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. LGT Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in Ferguson by 103.6% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 226 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $222.80 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson has a twelve month low of $146.00 and a twelve month high of $225.63. The company has a market cap of $43.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $197.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.27.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.44. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.32 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 20th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 20th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 41.40%.

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.

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