Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) COO Sells $772,200.00 in Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) COO William Thees, Jr. sold 3,510 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $772,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,189,600. This represents a 9.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $231.42 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $228.04 and a 200-day moving average of $234.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $212.13 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were issued 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 payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

More Ferguson News

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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FERG shares. Barclays increased their price target on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $285.78.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FERG. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter valued at about $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Ferguson by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 5,981,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,331,621,000 after purchasing an additional 434,650 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc raised its stake in Ferguson by 613.8% in the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 401,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,263,000 after purchasing an additional 345,165 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Ferguson by 43.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,029,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $240,234,000 after purchasing an additional 312,756 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,868,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $668,809,000 after purchasing an additional 240,666 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.