Insider Selling: Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) CFO Sells $1,309,377.64 in Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) CFO William Brundage sold 5,986 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total value of $1,309,377.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,010,575.92. The trade was a 9.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE:FERG opened at $231.42 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $228.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.52. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $212.13 and a twelve month high of $271.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The business had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $290.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two 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, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $285.78.

Ferguson News Summary

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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

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

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.