Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock: Insider Ian Graham Sells 238 Shares

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Ian Graham sold 238 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total value of $53,431.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 10,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,462,989.50. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:FERG opened at $231.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $212.13 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The company has a 50-day moving average of $228.04 and a 200 day moving average of $234.52. The firm has a market cap of $44.77 billion, a PE ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were given a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at about $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 5,981,791 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,331,621,000 after buying an additional 434,650 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 613.8% during the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 401,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,263,000 after buying an additional 345,165 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 43.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,029,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,234,000 after buying an additional 312,756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings 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 valued at $668,809,000 after buying an additional 240,666 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.

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.