Brokerages Set Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Target Price at $200.67

Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $198.62.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Ferguson from $234.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Bank of America raised shares of Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price objective (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in Ferguson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,109,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,137,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $610,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG opened at $155.22 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ferguson has a 12-month low of $149.28 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $171.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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

About Ferguson

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.