Brokerages Set Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) PT at $284.86

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $284.8564.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on FERG shares. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Zelman & Associates upgraded Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Ferguson from $281.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $697,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $375,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 7.5% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 431 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, L2 Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 5.2% in the second quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 1,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $244.82 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $235.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $240.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $47.36 billion, a PE ratio of 28.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.14. Ferguson has a 1 year low of $207.64 and a 1 year high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The firm had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson will post 11.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.40%.

Ferguson declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, May 5th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson (NYSE: FERG) is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.