Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.06 EPS

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

Ferguson Stock Down 0.7 %

FERG stock opened at $155.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The company has a market capitalization of $31.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $176.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $190.86. Ferguson has a fifty-two week low of $154.09 and a fifty-two week high of $225.63.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised Ferguson from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $185.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Ferguson from $189.00 to $168.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Ferguson from $211.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $193.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Ferguson in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.64.

About Ferguson

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.