Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

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

A number of brokerages recently commented on FERG. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ferguson from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Raymond James downgraded Ferguson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $208.80 on Monday. Ferguson has a one year low of $133.10 and a one year high of $224.86. 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 company has a market capitalization of $42.35 billion, a PE ratio of 24.28, a P/E/G ratio of 8.83 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $210.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $187.74.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.74%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth $988,852,000. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 86.9% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 1,636,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,144,000 after acquiring an additional 760,800 shares during the period. Cantillon Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 58.4% during the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,872,863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $361,594,000 after acquiring an additional 690,643 shares during the period. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 1st quarter valued at about $79,982,000. Finally, Sculptor Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $68,056,000. 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.