Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $198.62.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates cut shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 906.7% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 1,350.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NASDAQ FERG opened at $155.22 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $171.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $186.33. Ferguson has a 52-week low of $145.10 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.74 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Ferguson will post 9.4 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 40.84%.

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.