Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock: Insider Jake Schlicher Sells 3,138 Shares

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Jake Schlicher sold 3,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total transaction of $686,406.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,075,842.60. This trade represents a 24.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Jake Schlicher also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, August 28th, Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of Ferguson stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total transaction of $1,195,472.84.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Ferguson stock opened at $228.63 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $228.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.14. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $212.13 and a 1-year high of $271.64.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Saudi Central Bank raised its holdings in Ferguson by 88.5% in the 2nd quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 13,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,229,000 after purchasing an additional 6,389 shares in the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich boosted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich now owns 326,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,509,000 after purchasing an additional 7,916 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,183,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of Ferguson by 13.2% during the second quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 96,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,932,000 after buying an additional 11,196 shares during the period. Finally, Lmcg Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the first quarter valued at about $1,806,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $285.78.

Key Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains constructive on Ferguson, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $285.78, implying considerable potential upside from recent trading levels. Several firms recently raised their targets, including Barclays, Bernstein, Baird and Wells Fargo. Ferguson analyst and market information
• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s latest reported quarter exceeded expectations, with earnings of $3.39 per share versus the $3.23 consensus estimate on revenue of $8.75 billion. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share, or $3.56 annualized, supporting a yield of roughly 1.6%. Ferguson earnings and dividend information
• Neutral Sentiment: Six Ferguson 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 executives. All transactions were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, and the insiders retained meaningful holdings afterward. Ferguson insider sales report
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of selling across senior executives could weigh on near-term sentiment, particularly as individual positions declined by roughly 6% to 25%. However, because the sales were scheduled in advance, they do not necessarily indicate deteriorating confidence in Ferguson’s business or outlook. SEC insider transaction filing

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.