Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock: Insider Jake Schlicher Sells 314 Shares

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Jake Schlicher sold 314 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total transaction of $70,493.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,621 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,414.50. This trade represents a 3.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

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

• On Wednesday, October 14th, Jake Schlicher sold 217 shares of Ferguson stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total transaction of $47,876.71.
• On Monday, October 12th, Jake Schlicher sold 3,138 shares of Ferguson stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total transaction of $686,406.12.
• 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 Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE FERG opened at $231.42 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $212.13 and a 1 year high of $271.64. The stock has a market cap of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $228.04 and a 200 day moving average of $234.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.83%.

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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on FERG. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Melius Research initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. They set a “hold” rating and a $252.00 price objective for the company. Two investment 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $285.78.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth about $655,000. Kintegral Advisory LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kintegral Advisory LLC now owns 14,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,229,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 13,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,976,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Ferguson by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 83,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,582,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,264,000 after purchasing an additional 1,590 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

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.