Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) Price Target Raised to $175.00 at Barclays

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG – Get Rating) had its price target raised by Barclays from $159.00 to $175.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Societe Generale cut Ferguson to a hold rating in a report on Monday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, March 20th. They set an overweight rating for the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Thursday, May 4th. They set a buy rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ferguson from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, May 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $8,258.80.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $143.81 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.84. The business has a fifty day moving average of $135.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.70. Ferguson has a 52-week low of $99.16 and a 52-week high of $151.00.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 7th. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.63 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 45.56% and a net margin of 6.98%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 17th were given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 16th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ferguson

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 1st quarter valued at about $370,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 34,620 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,669,000 after acquiring an additional 3,570 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,046,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,213,327,000 after acquiring an additional 191,587 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 100.4% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $670,000 after acquiring an additional 2,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 31.4% during the 1st quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 161,273 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,630,000 after acquiring an additional 38,584 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.19% of the company’s stock.

About Ferguson

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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.