Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Sells $252,310.00 in Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Ian Graham sold 1,097 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $252,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,271,020. The trade was a 10.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Price Performance

Ferguson stock opened at $227.27 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $212.13 and a 12 month 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $226.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.97 billion, a PE ratio of 22.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 6.82%. The firm had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were given 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 yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Vega Investment Solutions increased its holdings in Ferguson by 50.5% in the second quarter. Vega Investment Solutions now owns 277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in Ferguson by 93.5% in the second quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. now owns 296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Zelman & Associates raised 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. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 price target on Ferguson in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Ferguson from $290.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $285.31.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a value-added distributor of plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), waterworks, fire protection and other building and industrial products. The company serves professional contractors, municipalities, commercial and industrial businesses, and other customers through a network of branches, distribution centers, showrooms and digital platforms.

Its product offering includes pipes, valves, fittings, plumbing fixtures, water and wastewater infrastructure products, HVAC equipment, fire protection systems, industrial supplies and related tools and services.