Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $231.57.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th.

Ferguson Price Performance

FERG opened at $198.64 on Monday. Ferguson has a 1 year low of $147.62 and a 1 year high of $225.63. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $200.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $205.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.87 billion, a PE ratio of 23.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.20.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ferguson will post 9.86 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 37.05%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Ferguson by 375.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,289,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,218,032,000 after acquiring an additional 4,966,821 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Ferguson by 589.0% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,619,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,778,000 after acquiring an additional 1,384,570 shares during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter worth $104,723,000. Robeco Schweiz AG bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $61,782,000. Finally, Waverton Investment Management Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 61.0% during the second quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 812,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,293,000 after purchasing an additional 308,138 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.