Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Receives $222.40 Average PT from Analysts

Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $220.10.

FERG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $221.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Ferguson from $234.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $219.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Bank of America raised Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th.

Ferguson Trading Up 2.7 %

FERG opened at $182.28 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $36.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.24. Ferguson has a 1-year low of $167.27 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company’s 50 day moving average is $190.48 and its 200-day moving average is $198.08.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 39.86%.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FERG. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 303.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $904,000 after purchasing an additional 3,423 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,359,000 after purchasing an additional 7,862 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $970,000. Clean Yield Group increased its position in Ferguson by 27.1% in the 4th quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,506,000 after buying an additional 5,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP raised its stake in Ferguson by 66.2% during the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 51,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,256,000 after buying an additional 20,580 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

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.