Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock: Insider Ian Graham Sells 1,854 Shares

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Ian Graham sold 1,854 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total value of $405,543.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,517,916.14. The trade was a 13.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FERG opened at $228.63 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $212.13 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $228.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.55. 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 firm has a market cap of $44.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted 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 business 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%. On average, analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains constructive on Ferguson, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $285.78, implying considerable potential upside from recent trading levels. Several firms recently raised their targets, including Barclays, Bernstein, Baird and Wells Fargo. Ferguson analyst and market information
• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s latest reported quarter exceeded expectations, with earnings of $3.39 per share versus the $3.23 consensus estimate on revenue of $8.75 billion. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share, or $3.56 annualized, supporting a yield of roughly 1.6%. Ferguson earnings and dividend information
• Neutral Sentiment: Six Ferguson insiders collectively sold 27,327 shares worth approximately $6.0 million on October 12. The sellers included CFO William Brundage, COO William Thees Jr., VP Anthony Camposano and other executives. All transactions were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, and the insiders retained meaningful holdings afterward. Ferguson insider sales report
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of selling across senior executives could weigh on near-term sentiment, particularly as individual positions declined by roughly 6% to 25%. However, because the sales were scheduled in advance, they do not necessarily indicate deteriorating confidence in Ferguson’s business or outlook. SEC insider transaction filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $285.78.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,107,108 shares of the company’s stock worth $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% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,619,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,100,474,000 after purchasing an additional 48,544 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,868,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $668,809,000 after purchasing an additional 240,666 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 0.8% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,055,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $487,796,000 after buying an additional 16,866 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.