Ferguson (FERG) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Tuesday

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) is scheduled to issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Tuesday, December 10th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $2.60 per share for the quarter. Investors that are interested in participating in the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. Ferguson had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.85%. The business had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.77 EPS. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Ferguson to post $10 EPS for the current fiscal year and $11 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of FERG opened at $216.93 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $203.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $202.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80. The company has a market cap of $43.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.43, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.21. Ferguson has a 52-week low of $175.42 and a 52-week high of $225.63.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th were paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup increased their price target on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.38.

Insider Transactions at Ferguson

In other news, CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total value of $295,361.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,047,246. This represents a 22.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Garland Williams sold 1,118 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total value of $224,963.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $378,696.04. This trade represents a 37.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,313 shares of company stock worth $2,477,901. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.