Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) COO William Thees, Jr. Sells 3,510 Shares of Company Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) COO William Thees, Jr. sold 3,510 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $772,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $222.95 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $43.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average of $229.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FERG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zelman & Associates raised Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $285.78.

Ferguson News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Six insiders collectively sold 27,327 shares worth approximately $6.0 million on October 12. The sellers included CFO William Brundage, COO William Thees Jr., VP Anthony Camposano and other insiders. Each retained a meaningful position in Ferguson following the transactions. SEC insider transaction filings
• Negative Sentiment: The volume of sales across multiple insiders may create modest near-term pressure on investor sentiment, particularly because individual holdings declined by roughly 6% to 25%. However, the pre-arranged nature of the plans suggests the sales were scheduled rather than necessarily driven by concerns about Ferguson’s business or valuation. SEC insider sale filing

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Vega Investment Solutions lifted its position in shares of Ferguson by 50.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vega Investment Solutions now owns 277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 93.5% during the 2nd quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. now owns 296 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.