Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $166.50.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 60.0% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 146.1% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ FERG opened at $220.52 on Friday. Ferguson has a 12 month low of $142.27 and a 12 month high of $224.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.72 billion, a PE ratio of 25.64, a P/E/G ratio of 9.13 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $213.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.