Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Sells $686,406.12 in Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Jake Schlicher sold 3,138 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total value of $686,406.12. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,075,842.60. This represents a 24.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Jake Schlicher also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, October 15th, Jake Schlicher sold 314 shares of Ferguson stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total transaction of $70,493.00.
• On Wednesday, October 14th, Jake Schlicher sold 217 shares of Ferguson stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total transaction of $47,876.71.
• On Friday, August 28th, Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of Ferguson stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total transaction of $1,195,472.84.

Ferguson Price Performance

Ferguson stock opened at $231.42 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $44.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $228.04 and its 200 day moving average is $234.52. 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 plc has a 52-week low of $212.13 and a 52-week high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The business had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Key Stories Impacting 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on FERG. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Ferguson from $290.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $285.78.

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.