Jake Schlicher Sells 5,177 Shares of Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 9,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,191,430.80. This trade represents a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:FERG opened at $221.28 on Thursday. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $207.64 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.81 billion, a PE ratio of 26.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.56.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The business 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 expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 41.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Ferguson from $281.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $285.93.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 350,745.0% in the fourth quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 522,759 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,382,000 after buying an additional 522,610 shares in the last quarter. Marsico Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth $11,017,000. Lmcg Investments LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the first quarter worth $1,806,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Ferguson by 13.2% during the second quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 96,108 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,932,000 after acquiring an additional 11,196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenland Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at $1,481,000. Institutional investors 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.