Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $252.9994.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on FERG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FERG. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 145.3% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Ferguson in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 178.3% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Ferguson by 154.4% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $253.99 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $49.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.66, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.88. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $237.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.93. Ferguson has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $256.93.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. The company had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.45 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 35.96%.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s recent fundamentals support the uptick — the company reported a Dec. quarter EPS beat ($2.84 vs. $2.77 expected), year-over-year revenue growth (~5.1%), a healthy net margin (~6.3%) and very strong return on equity (~35.7%). Those results and margins are investor-friendly and help justify a higher share price.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and valuation context is supportive: market cap near $50B, P/E ~24.6, the stock is trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and close to its 52‑week high — momentum and relative strength can attract additional buying from trend-following funds.
• Neutral Sentiment: Most of the recent headlines in the supplied list concern actress Rebecca Ferguson (film reviews, PVOD performance, interviews about AI) and are unrelated to Ferguson plc’s business and fundamentals. Rebecca Ferguson’s $715 Million Sci‑Fi Epic Is Hypnotizing Audiences on PVOD
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional entertainment pieces rank or review Rebecca Ferguson’s films (rankings, mixed reviews, PVOD success) — these drive celebrity media attention only and should not affect FERG’s fundamentals. The 11 best Rebecca Ferguson movies, ranked
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage about Rebecca Ferguson’s film “Mercy” and interviews on AI likewise concern entertainment/PR angles, not the industrial distributor. ‘Mercy’ Stars Chris Pratt And Rebecca Ferguson On The Dangers Of AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Several tabloid/royal-family items referencing Sarah Ferguson and Princess Anne are human-interest stories with no direct link to Ferguson plc’s business performance. Sarah Ferguson is trying to save what’s left of her reputation
• Negative Sentiment: One local-policy item — Gov. Ferguson’s supplemental budget proposing a $15.8M cut to University of Washington operating funds — could modestly affect regional economic activity in WA state. However, the impact on Ferguson plc’s North American distribution business is likely negligible unless larger state-level cuts materialize. Gov. Ferguson’s supplemental budget proposes $15.8 million cut to UW operating 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.