Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) Reaches New 1-Year High at $225.63

Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) shares hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $225.63 and last traded at $224.62, with a volume of 578850 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $218.74.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Ferguson from $232.00 to $229.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Ferguson from $217.00 to $211.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $230.00.

Ferguson Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $44.94 billion, a PE ratio of 24.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.11 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $202.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $205.56.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 4th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.05. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.89% and a net margin of 6.33%. The firm had revenue of $7.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.20 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 9.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.54%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth about $988,852,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Ferguson by 375.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,289,864 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,218,032,000 after acquiring an additional 4,966,821 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 589.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,619,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,778,000 after purchasing an additional 1,384,570 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 44.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,371,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $457,905,000 after purchasing an additional 735,270 shares during the period. Finally, Cantillon Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 58.4% in the fourth quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,872,863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $361,594,000 after purchasing an additional 690,643 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.