Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Ferguson plc has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from eighteen brokerages, with seven analysts recommending a hold and ten a buy rating.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $3.48, outperforming analysts' estimates of $3.00, and revenue of $8.50 billion, also exceeding expectations.
• Ferguson announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, translating to a 1.4% annual yield, payable on November 7th to shareholders of record as of September 26th.

Shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $237.1429.

FERG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Ferguson from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Ferguson from $231.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Ferguson from $247.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 18th.

Ferguson Trading Down 2.4%

NYSE FERG opened at $235.50 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $230.15. The company has a market capitalization of $46.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.21, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Ferguson has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $243.40.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.21% and a net margin of 6.03%.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is 35.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ferguson news, insider Allison Stirrup sold 969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.23, for a total value of $226,968.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,058 shares in the company, valued at $1,184,735.34. This represents a 16.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider James A. Paisley sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.97, for a total value of $710,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 2,211 shares of the company's stock, valued at $523,940.67. This trade represents a 57.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,575 shares of company stock valued at $6,688,246. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Untitled Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter worth about $5,953,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 11.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,932,959 shares of the company's stock worth $309,718,000 after buying an additional 205,531 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 14.3% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock worth $928,000 after buying an additional 722 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 96.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 29,251 shares of the company's stock worth $4,687,000 after buying an additional 14,338 shares during the period. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 37.5% during the first quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 13,042 shares of the company's stock worth $2,090,000 after buying an additional 3,559 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.

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