Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) in a report released on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a hold rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on FERG. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Zelman & Associates downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $198.62.

Ferguson Price Performance

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $158.42 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $31.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $172.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $186.90. Ferguson has a one year low of $152.52 and a one year high of $225.63. 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 (NASDAQ:FERG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.74 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Ferguson will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 40.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Ferguson by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 6,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,137,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.