Analysts Set Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) Target Price at $285.57

Shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $285.5707.

FERG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total value of $1,195,472.84. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,191,430.80. This represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 123.4% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 143 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Ferguson stock opened at $223.36 on Monday. Ferguson has a 52-week low of $207.64 and a 52-week high of $271.64. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $235.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The company had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ferguson will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 41.83%.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a value-added distributor of plumbing and heating products, water and wastewater solutions, fire protection equipment, HVAC supplies, and related products. The company primarily serves professional contractors and other trade customers, helping them source products, obtain technical support, and manage projects through its distribution network and digital platforms.

Ferguson operates mainly in North America, with businesses serving residential and commercial construction, infrastructure, facilities maintenance, and industrial markets in the United States and Canada.