Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) VP Sells $345,609.20 in Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) VP Anthony Camposano sold 1,580 shares of the company’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 value of $345,609.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 10,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,395,640.48. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of FERG stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $222.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,358,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,685,467. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $212.13 and a one year high of $271.64. The firm has a market cap of $43.13 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $229.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $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 (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 6.82%. The business had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid 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 is currently 41.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Ferguson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 price objective on Ferguson in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ferguson has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.07.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 2.1% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,107,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,424,075,000 after buying an additional 125,317 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Ferguson by 1.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,619,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,100,474,000 after buying an additional 48,544 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in Ferguson by 9.2% during the first 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 second 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. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.