Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $199.38.

FERG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $189.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Ferguson and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $183.34 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $165.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.27. The company has a market cap of $36.66 billion, a PE ratio of 22.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Ferguson has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company's revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.74 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.84%.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 867,593 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,281,000 after buying an additional 377,283 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,524 shares of the company's stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 804 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $283,000. UMB Bank n.a. purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Finally, Perpetual Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 47,828 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,302,000 after purchasing an additional 3,661 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

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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