Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) VP Robert Anthony Jr. Camposano Sells 201 Shares of Company Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) VP Anthony Camposano sold 201 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total value of $44,346.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 10,686 shares in the company, valued at $2,357,652.18. This trade represents a 1.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Robert Anthony Jr. Camposano also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, October 15th, Anthony Camposano sold 185 shares of Ferguson stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total value of $41,532.50.
• On Monday, October 12th, Anthony Camposano sold 1,580 shares of Ferguson stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total value of $345,609.20.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.2%

FERG stock traded up $2.66 during trading on Friday, reaching $231.42. 2,143,287 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,429,344. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $228.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.52. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $212.13 and a 52-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 firm has a market capitalization of $44.77 billion, a PE ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

Key Ferguson News

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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kintegral Advisory LLC raised its position in Ferguson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Kintegral Advisory LLC now owns 14,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,229,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Hengehold Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.8% during the third quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 13,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,976,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.5% in the third quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 83,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,582,000 after buying an additional 423 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 38.9% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,264,000 after buying an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth about $4,079,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on FERG shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $285.78.

Ferguson Company Profile

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.