Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock: Insider Ian Graham Sells 1,093 Shares

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Ian Graham sold 1,093 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total transaction of $284,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,781 shares in the company, valued at $2,283,060. The trade was a 11.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Performance

FERG traded down $4.74 during trading on Thursday, hitting $259.76. The stock had a trading volume of 336,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,671,492. The firm has a market cap of $50.30 billion, a PE ratio of 30.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.11. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $212.13 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $227.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.30.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.15. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.73% and a return on equity of 37.69%. The firm had revenue of $9.03 billion during the quarter. Analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.50 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 20th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 20th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

Latest Ferguson News

Investors following FERG have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays said Ferguson’s stock is expected to rise, adding to the recent favorable analyst outlook. Ferguson Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird forecast strong price appreciation for Ferguson shares, signaling confidence in potential upside. Robert W. Baird Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Ferguson Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s shares previously gapped up after the company reported quarterly EPS of $3.43, above the $3.28 analyst consensus. Ferguson Shares Gap Up on Earnings Beat

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Ferguson from $288.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on Ferguson from $295.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Ferguson from $286.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup upgraded Ferguson from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $285.00 to $288.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $325.00 to $315.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $289.50.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Ferguson in the second quarter worth $1,789,368,000. State Street Corp raised its position in Ferguson by 83.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,463,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,891,695,000 after purchasing an additional 3,843,865 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in Ferguson by 1,176.7% in the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 895,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,450,000 after purchasing an additional 825,744 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc lifted its stake in Ferguson by 613.8% during the second 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 during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Ferguson by 43.6% during the first 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc is a distributor of plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), waterworks, and fire protection products. It supplies contractors and other professional customers with products, services, and expertise for residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects. The company serves customers primarily in the United States and Canada through branches, distribution centers, and digital channels. Its offerings include pipes, valves and fittings, plumbing fixtures, HVAC equipment, water and wastewater products, and fire protection systems.