Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) Announces Earnings Results

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by ($0.06), Briefing.com reports. Ferguson had a return on equity of 34.63% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.74 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ferguson Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of FERG stock opened at $155.94 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $176.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $190.86. Ferguson has a 12-month low of $154.09 and a 12-month high of $225.63. The firm has a market cap of $31.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zelman & Associates cut Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $193.00 price target (down from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Ferguson from $211.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup reduced their price target on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Ferguson and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.64.

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.