Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Sells $1,195,472.84 in Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 9,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,191,430.80. This trade 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 link.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE FERG opened at $223.31 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $207.64 and a 1 year high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, research analysts expect 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 paid a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on FERG. Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 price objective on Ferguson in a research report on Thursday. Barclays lifted their price target on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $285.57.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $375,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 7.5% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its stake in Ferguson by 4.3% during the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 1,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 431 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, L2 Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 5.2% in the second quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 1,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

About Ferguson

Ferguson (NYSE: FERG) is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.