Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) VP Robert Anthony Jr. Camposano Sells 1,580 Shares of Company Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) VP Anthony Camposano sold 1,580 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total transaction of $345,609.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 10,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,395,640.48. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $222.95 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $229.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.52. The company has a market cap of $43.13 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.14. 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.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were given a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is 41.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on FERG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Melius Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set a “hold” rating and a $252.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $285.78.

Key Stories Impacting Ferguson

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 Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the second quarter worth approximately $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position 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 during the period. Man Group plc grew its position 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 during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position 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 during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in Ferguson by 9.2% during 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 buying an additional 240,666 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.