Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) SVP Sells $541,341.40 in Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) SVP William Thees, Jr. sold 2,308 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.55, for a total value of $541,341.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 29,694 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,964,727.70. This represents a 7.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE:FERG opened at $237.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $230.41. The company has a market capitalization of $46.45 billion, a PE ratio of 25.38, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.17. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $146.00 and a 52 week high of $243.40.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Ferguson to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ferguson from $204.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ferguson from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $237.14.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smithfield Trust Co grew its position in Ferguson by 3.5% in the second quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Ferguson by 7.5% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its position in Ferguson by 51.5% in the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group grew its position in Ferguson by 4.5% in the third quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its position in Ferguson by 0.8% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,185,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

About Ferguson

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.