Analysts Set Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) PT at $166.50

Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $166.50.

FERG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ferguson from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Raymond James downgraded Ferguson from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at about $988,852,000. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 86.9% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 1,636,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,144,000 after acquiring an additional 760,800 shares during the period. Cantillon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 58.4% in the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,872,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,594,000 after acquiring an additional 690,643 shares during the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 1st quarter worth approximately $79,982,000. Finally, Sculptor Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $68,056,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG opened at $211.44 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $210.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $187.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.98 and a beta of 1.27. Ferguson has a 52 week low of $130.75 and a 52 week high of $224.86.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 36.74%.

About Ferguson

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.