Insider Selling: Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Sells 11,259 Shares of Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Kevin Michael Murphy sold 11,259 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total transaction of $2,440,726.02. Following the transaction, the insider owned 173,863 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,690,021.14. This represents a 6.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.0%

FERG stock traded up $0.09 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $222.95. 1,358,631 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,685,467. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $229.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.51. 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 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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 6.82%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business 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 was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on FERG shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Ferguson from $290.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $252.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.07.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ferguson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Vega Investment Solutions grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 93.5% during the 2nd quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. now owns 296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 26.1% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

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.