Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Ian Graham Sells 1,097 Shares of Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Ian Graham sold 1,097 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $252,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,271,020. This represents a 10.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE FERG opened at $227.08 on Wednesday. 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 52 week low of $212.13 and a 52 week high of $271.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.93 billion, a PE ratio of 26.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $226.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $234.47.

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

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on FERG shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Ferguson from $290.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 price objective on Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $261.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $285.31.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FERG. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the second quarter worth about $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,107,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,424,075,000 after purchasing an additional 125,317 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,619,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,474,000 after purchasing an additional 48,544 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew 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 worth $668,809,000 after buying an additional 240,666 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,055,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $487,796,000 after buying an additional 16,866 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a value-added distributor of plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), waterworks, fire protection and other building and industrial products. The company serves professional contractors, municipalities, commercial and industrial businesses, and other customers through a network of branches, distribution centers, showrooms and digital platforms.

Its product offering includes pipes, valves, fittings, plumbing fixtures, water and wastewater infrastructure products, HVAC equipment, fire protection systems, industrial supplies and related tools and services.