Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) VP Robert Anthony Jr. Camposano Sells 185 Shares of Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) VP Anthony Camposano sold 185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total value of $41,532.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 10,407 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,336,371.50. The trade was a 1.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Robert Anthony Jr. Camposano also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, October 14th, Anthony Camposano sold 201 shares of Ferguson stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total value of $44,346.63.
• On Monday, October 12th, Anthony Camposano sold 1,580 shares of Ferguson stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total value of $345,609.20.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG traded up $2.66 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $231.42. The stock had a trading volume of 2,143,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,429,344. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $228.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.52. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $212.13 and a 1 year high of $271.64. The stock has a market cap of $44.77 billion, a PE ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.14. 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 announced 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. The business had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 6.82%. Equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.83%.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.1% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,107,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,424,075,000 after buying an additional 125,317 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 1.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,619,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,100,474,000 after buying an additional 48,544 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 9.2% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,868,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $668,809,000 after buying an additional 240,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 0.8% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,055,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $487,796,000 after acquiring an additional 16,866 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on FERG. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $285.78.

About Ferguson

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.