Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twelve research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $217.73.

FERG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zelman & Associates downgraded Ferguson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ferguson from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $204.00 price target on the stock. Berenberg Bank increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Ferguson from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ:FERG traded up $1.37 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $182.30. The stock had a trading volume of 435,488 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,456,828. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Ferguson has a one year low of $167.27 and a one year high of $225.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.83.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Ferguson's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 39.86%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Ferguson by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,468,003 shares of the company's stock worth $1,668,462,000 after buying an additional 288,935 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Ferguson by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,541,079 shares of the company's stock worth $905,230,000 after purchasing an additional 161,662 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 944.4% during the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 3,537,155 shares of the company's stock worth $613,944,000 after purchasing an additional 3,198,477 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,197,621 shares of the company's stock worth $633,409,000 after purchasing an additional 25,677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Ferguson by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,371,954 shares of the company's stock worth $477,858,000 after purchasing an additional 133,769 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

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.