Comparing Ferguson (FERGY) & The Competition

Dividends

Ferguson pays an annual dividend of $0.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Ferguson pays out 55.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Trading Companies & Distributors” companies pay a dividend yield of 2.9% and pay out 36.6% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Ferguson lags its competitors as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.2% of Ferguson shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 50.9% of shares of all “Trading Companies & Distributors” companies are owned by institutional investors. 16.7% of shares of all “Trading Companies & Distributors” companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Ferguson and its competitors’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ferguson	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ferguson Competitors	2.91%	-33.93%	3.55%

Risk and Volatility

Ferguson has a beta of 1.37, indicating that its share price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ferguson’s competitors have a beta of 1.28, indicating that their average share price is 28% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Ferguson and its competitors top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ferguson	$27.54 billion	$961.00 million	183.83
Ferguson Competitors	$6.43 billion	$364.19 million	24.83

Ferguson has higher revenue and earnings than its competitors. Ferguson is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Summary

Ferguson competitors beat Ferguson on 6 of the 11 factors compared.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Central Europe. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, municipal, civil and industrial markets, and commercial sectors for repair, maintenance, and improvement (RMI), as well as new construction markets. The company also distributes pipes, valves, fittings, hydrants, meters, and related water management products, as well as offers related services, such as water line tapping and pipe fusion services. In addition, it distributes heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration equipment, and parts and supplies to specialist contractors in the residential and commercial markets for repair and replacement; and PVF products to industrial customers. Further, the company fabricates and supplies fire protection systems and bespoke fabrication services to commercial contractors for new construction and renovation projects, as well as offers products, services, and solutions to enable maintenance of facilities across various RMI markets. Additionally, it offers supply chain management solutions for PVF; and industrial maintenance, repair, and operations specializing in delivering automation, instrumentation, engineered products, and turn-key solutions. The company also sells its home improvement products directly to consumers, as well as through a network of online stores. In addition, it operates its B2B business primarily under the Ferguson brand; and B2C business under the Build.com brand. Further, the company provides products and services for maintenance of multi-family properties, government agencies, hospitality, education, healthcare, and other facilities. It operates a network of 2,194 branches and 19 distribution centers. Ferguson plc was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Wokingham, the United Kingdom.