Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Upgraded at Jefferies Financial Group

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) was upgraded by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Thursday, Zacks reports.

FERG has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Ferguson from $281.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $285.57.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $228.53 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $235.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $238.23. The firm has a market cap of $44.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.85, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Ferguson has a 1-year low of $207.64 and a 1-year high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 6.82%. Research analysts predict that Ferguson will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In other news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total transaction of $1,195,472.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,490 shares in the company, valued at $2,191,430.80. This represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 123.4% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 143 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.