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

Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $166.50.

Several analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Raymond James lowered Ferguson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ferguson from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Harbour Investments Inc. bought a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $218.95 on Thursday. Ferguson has a 1-year low of $123.17 and a 1-year high of $222.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.41 billion, a PE ratio of 25.46, a PEG ratio of 9.10 and a beta of 1.27. The business’s 50 day moving average is $201.66 and its 200-day moving average is $180.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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

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.