Ian Graham Sells 4,864 Shares of Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Ian Graham sold 4,864 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.22, for a total transaction of $1,134,382.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,769 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,811,886.18. This represents a 38.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Ferguson Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of FERG stock opened at $235.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $243.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.19 billion, a PE ratio of 25.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $230.15.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.03% and a return on equity of 35.21%.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 35.55%.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Untitled Investments LP bought a new stake in Ferguson in the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,953,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Ferguson by 11.9% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,932,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,718,000 after purchasing an additional 205,531 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Ferguson by 14.3% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $928,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Ferguson by 96.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 29,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,687,000 after purchasing an additional 14,338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 37.5% in the 1st quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 13,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,090,000 after buying an additional 3,559 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FERG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $204.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Ferguson from $260.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $237.14.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.