Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock: Insider Ian Graham Sells 99 Shares

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Ian Graham sold 99 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total value of $21,842.37. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 11,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,502,826.72. The trade was a 0.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE FERG traded up $2.98 during trading on Friday, reaching $231.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 348,936 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,679,277. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.14. 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 50 day moving average price of $228.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.55. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $212.13 and a 12 month high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. The firm 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, equities analysts anticipate 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 issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ferguson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Ferguson by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 83,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,582,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 38.9% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,264,000 after purchasing an additional 1,590 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth approximately $4,079,000. Formuepleje A S bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,960,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $864,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s prior quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $3.39 versus the $3.23 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a generally bullish outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $285.78. Ferguson analyst and earnings information
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple executives, including COO William Thees Jr., VP Anthony Camposano, Ian Graham, Jake Schlicher and Kevin Murphy, completed additional sales on October 14–15. The sellers retained substantial holdings, suggesting the transactions may reflect routine portfolio diversification rather than a broad loss of confidence in Ferguson’s business. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Recent filings show significant aggregate insider selling, including Kevin Murphy’s sale of 11,259 shares for approximately $2.44 million on October 12 and CFO William Brundage’s sale of 5,986 shares worth about $1.31 million. Additional sales by other executives bring the recent reported total to roughly $6 million, potentially weighing on sentiment. SEC insider sale filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on FERG. Melius Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set a “hold” rating and a $252.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Ferguson from $290.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $285.78.

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.