Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $252.9994.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised 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. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $268.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $267.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th.

Ferguson News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and fundamentals support the stock: Ferguson reported an EPS beat and saw year‑over‑year revenue growth with healthy margins and strong return on equity, which underpins investor confidence. Ferguson Stock Up / Earnings Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: High‑profile media coverage about Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) — several outlets report that six of her companies are being shut down after revelations tied to the Epstein files; this is a reputational/celebrity story and not related to Ferguson plc’s business. Six Sarah Ferguson-linked companies to close
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional celebrity coverage (emails, allegations, commentary suggesting media moves) is circulating about Sarah Ferguson; these stories drive headlines but have no direct bearing on Ferguson plc’s fundamentals or distribution operations. Sarah Ferguson Dissolves Six Businesses
• Neutral Sentiment: Washington state political and weather items: Governor Ferguson (WA) is seeking FEMA aid after December flooding, estimates ~$182M in infrastructure damage, and is backing a “millionaires’ tax” / tax‑holiday proposals — local fiscal/policy developments that could affect state construction and infrastructure activity but are immaterial to Ferguson plc at the company level. Ferguson says December’s record flooding caused $182M in infrastructure damage
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated sports/other mentions (e.g., a player’s ankle injury story using the name Ferguson) appear in feeds but do not affect the company’s stock or outlook. Ferguson continues to struggle with ankle injury

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Atria Investments Inc increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 38.2% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 15,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,459,000 after buying an additional 4,259 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,002,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in Ferguson by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 20,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,609,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,252,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in Ferguson by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 322,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,522,000 after purchasing an additional 55,981 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $260.18 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $50.88 billion, a PE ratio of 26.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $242.55 and a 200-day moving average of $238.46. Ferguson has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 35.73%. The business had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company 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 is a boost from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.96%.

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.