Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) CAO Sells $240,611.80 in Stock

Key Points

• Ferguson plc's Chief Accounting Officer, Richard Winckler, sold 1,034 shares for a total of $240,611.80, reducing his ownership of the stock by 41.49%.
• Ferguson's stock is currently down 1.4%, trading at $237.08, with a one-year market cap of $46.50 billion.
• The company recently declared a $0.83 quarterly dividend to be paid on November 7th, representing a 1.4% yield.

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,034 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.70, for a total transaction of $240,611.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,458 shares in the company, valued at $339,276.60. The trade was a 41.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Ferguson Stock Down 1.4%

FERG traded down $3.34 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $237.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 557,061 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,754,202. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.68. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $146.00 and a one year high of $243.40. The stock has a market cap of $46.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $229.59.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.48. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.03% and a return on equity of 35.21%. The business had revenue of $8.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Ferguson to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $247.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $204.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $237.14.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FERG. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 101.1% during the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,165,873 shares of the company's stock valued at $667,498,000 after acquiring an additional 2,094,029 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ferguson during the second quarter valued at $395,401,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Ferguson by 65.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,454,467 shares of the company's stock valued at $713,740,000 after acquiring an additional 1,755,464 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Ferguson by 24.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,660,299 shares of the company's stock worth $1,227,410,000 after buying an additional 1,506,024 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 39.3% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,255,661 shares of the company's stock worth $926,830,000 after buying an additional 1,201,493 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.

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