Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $166.50.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ferguson from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Raymond James lowered Ferguson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of FERG opened at $218.95 on Thursday. Ferguson has a 52-week low of $123.17 and a 52-week high of $222.39. The business’s fifty day moving average is $201.66 and its 200-day moving average is $180.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.80. The firm has a market cap of $44.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.46, a PEG ratio of 9.10 and a beta of 1.27.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.82 by ($0.08). Ferguson had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 37.99%. The business had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.91 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson will post 9.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 36.74%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Harbour Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 146.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.