Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $213.67 and last traded at $214.3730, with a volume of 876666 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $215.11.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on FERG shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $285.57.

Ferguson Stock Down 0.0%

The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $41.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.18, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $234.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $235.66.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 6.82%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 41.83%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total value of $1,195,472.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,191,430.80. This represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.15% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ferguson

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Vega Investment Solutions increased its holdings in Ferguson by 50.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vega Investment Solutions now owns 277 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a value-added distributor of plumbing and heating products, water and wastewater solutions, fire protection equipment, HVAC supplies, and related products. The company primarily serves professional contractors and other trade customers, helping them source products, obtain technical support, and manage projects through its distribution network and digital platforms.

Ferguson operates mainly in North America, with businesses serving residential and commercial construction, infrastructure, facilities maintenance, and industrial markets in the United States and Canada.