Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $252.9994.

FERG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $262.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $267.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ferguson

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 4.6% during the third quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $886,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 3.5% in the second quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $697,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG opened at $260.18 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $242.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $238.46. Ferguson has a 12 month low of $146.00 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.18.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.07. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The firm had revenue of $8.17 billion during the quarter. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Ferguson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This is an increase from Ferguson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.96%.

Ferguson News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and fundamentals support the stock: Ferguson reported an EPS beat and saw year‑over‑year revenue growth with healthy margins and strong return on equity, which underpins investor confidence. Ferguson Stock Up / Earnings Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: High‑profile media coverage about Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) — several outlets report that six of her companies are being shut down after revelations tied to the Epstein files; this is a reputational/celebrity story and not related to Ferguson plc’s business. Six Sarah Ferguson-linked companies to close
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional celebrity coverage (emails, allegations, commentary suggesting media moves) is circulating about Sarah Ferguson; these stories drive headlines but have no direct bearing on Ferguson plc’s fundamentals or distribution operations. Sarah Ferguson Dissolves Six Businesses
• Neutral Sentiment: Washington state political and weather items: Governor Ferguson (WA) is seeking FEMA aid after December flooding, estimates ~$182M in infrastructure damage, and is backing a “millionaires’ tax” / tax‑holiday proposals — local fiscal/policy developments that could affect state construction and infrastructure activity but are immaterial to Ferguson plc at the company level. Ferguson says December’s record flooding caused $182M in infrastructure damage
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated sports/other mentions (e.g., a player’s ankle injury story using the name Ferguson) appear in feeds but do not affect the company’s stock or outlook. Ferguson continues to struggle with ankle injury

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.