Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Sunday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on FERG. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Ferguson from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Vertical Research assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $291.99 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $250.47.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $228.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.68. Ferguson has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $256.93. The firm has a market cap of $44.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $241.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.18.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 6.28%.The business’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.45 EPS.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ferguson

In other news, SVP Jake Schlicher sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.52, for a total transaction of $700,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $2,720,741.52. This trade represents a 20.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider James A. Paisley sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.97, for a total transaction of $710,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,211 shares in the company, valued at approximately $523,940.67. The trade was a 57.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 29,264 shares of company stock valued at $6,853,349 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Untitled Investments LP bought a new position in Ferguson during the 1st quarter valued at about $5,953,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Ferguson by 11.9% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,932,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,718,000 after purchasing an additional 205,531 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 96.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 29,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,687,000 after buying an additional 14,338 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 68.9% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 239,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,230,000 after buying an additional 97,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rivermont Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 60.0% in the first quarter. Rivermont Capital Management LP now owns 99,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,907,000 after buying an additional 37,227 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson (NYSE: FERG) is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.