Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Kevin Michael Murphy Sells 1,776 Shares of Company Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Kevin Murphy sold 1,776 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total transaction of $398,712.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 168,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,814,780. This trade represents a 1.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kevin Michael Murphy also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, October 14th, Kevin Murphy sold 685 shares of Ferguson stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total transaction of $151,131.55.
• On Monday, October 12th, Kevin Murphy sold 11,259 shares of Ferguson stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total transaction of $2,440,726.02.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock traded up $2.66 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $231.42. 2,143,287 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,429,344. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $212.13 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $228.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $234.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.73. The company has a market capitalization of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its 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 during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 6.82%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were given a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 41.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $261.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Ferguson from $290.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $285.78.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter worth about $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.1% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,107,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,424,075,000 after purchasing an additional 125,317 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,619,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,474,000 after buying an additional 48,544 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,868,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $668,809,000 after buying an additional 240,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,055,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $487,796,000 after buying an additional 16,866 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s most recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $3.39 versus the $3.23 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $285.78, well above recent trading levels, which may support investor confidence.
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to offer shareholder returns through its quarterly dividend, equivalent to $3.56 annually and a yield of approximately 1.6%. Ferguson also retains strong profitability, including a reported 37.24% return on equity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several Ferguson executives and insiders reported stock sales during the week, including COO William Thees Jr., VP Anthony Camposano, Ian Graham, Jake Schlicher, Allison Stirrup and Kevin Murphy. The reported transactions involved thousands of shares and several million dollars in aggregate proceeds. Ferguson insider trading report
• Neutral Sentiment: All of the disclosed sales were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. That reduces their significance as a signal that management expects Ferguson’s business or valuation to weaken, particularly because the sellers retained substantial positions.
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of insider selling could nevertheless create modest near-term pressure on sentiment and may limit the stock’s upside, especially with Ferguson trading below its 200-day moving average.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a North American distributor of plumbing and heating products, supplying professional customers across the residential, commercial, industrial and infrastructure markets. The company serves contractors, builders, remodelers, municipalities, industrial businesses and other trade professionals through branch locations, distribution centers and digital ordering platforms.

Its product offerings include plumbing supplies and fixtures, heating and cooling equipment, water and wastewater products, fire protection systems, waterworks materials, industrial piping and related maintenance, repair and operating supplies.