Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock: Insider Allison Stirrup Sells 922 Shares

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Allison Stirrup sold 922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $207,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,583,550. This trade represents a 11.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:FERG opened at $231.42 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $228.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $234.52. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $212.13 and a 52-week high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.73. The company has a market cap of $44.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The firm 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were given a dividend of $0.89 per share. 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 presently 41.83%.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $1,424,075,000 after purchasing an additional 125,317 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake 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 valued at $1,100,474,000 after purchasing an additional 48,544 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of 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. 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 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on FERG. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Ferguson from $290.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $261.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson presently 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.