Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) SVP Jake Schlicher Sells 3,000 Shares of Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) SVP Jake Schlicher sold 3,000 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.52, for a total transaction of $700,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,720,741.52. The trade was a 20.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG opened at $240.73 on Thursday. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $146.00 and a fifty-two week high of $243.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $229.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.22 billion, a PE ratio of 25.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.17.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.03% and a return on equity of 35.21%.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $247.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $237.14.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ferguson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 41.5% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 467 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 3.4% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 4,502 shares of the company’s stock worth $721,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 23.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $573,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 25.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,312,000 after purchasing an additional 1,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mission Wealth Management LP boosted its stake in Ferguson by 2.2% during the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 3,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ferguson

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.