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

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Ian Graham sold 1,093 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $284,180.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,283,060. This trade represents a 11.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.8%

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

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $9.03 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.50 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 8th. Investors of record on Friday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 20th. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 83.2% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 125,317 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Ferguson by 0.8% during 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 purchasing an additional 16,866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, W1M Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in Ferguson by 6.2% during the second quarter. W1M Asset Management Ltd now owns 1,980,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $469,945,000 after purchasing an additional 116,418 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on FERG. Zelman & Associates upgraded Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $256.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup upgraded shares of Ferguson from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $285.00 to $288.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $325.00 to $315.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $289.50.

Latest Ferguson News

Here’s some of the latest news about FERG:

• 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
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS raised its price target to $270 from $256 but kept a neutral rating, indicating a modestly higher valuation view without turning bullish. Ferguson Stock Gets Price Target Increase from UBS Group

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.