Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Ian Graham Sells 4,864 Shares

Key Points

• Insider Ian Graham sold 4,864 shares of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) at an average price of $233.22, resulting in a total transaction of over $1.1 million and a 38.50% decrease in his ownership.
• The company is set to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share on November 7th, with a current dividend yield of 1.4% and a payout ratio of 35.55%.
• Ferguson reported EPS of $3.48 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, with revenue of $8.50 billion against forecasts of $8.44 billion.

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) insider Ian Graham sold 4,864 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.22, for a total transaction of $1,134,382.08. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,769 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,811,886.18. This trade represents a 38.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Ferguson Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:FERG traded down $3.34 on Wednesday, reaching $237.08. 557,061 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,754,202. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $243.40. The company has a market capitalization of $46.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $229.59.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $8.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.44 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.03% and a return on equity of 35.21%.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FERG. World Investment Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter worth approximately $261,000. Founders Financial Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $212,000. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 134,792 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,272,000 after purchasing an additional 1,832 shares in the last quarter. Optas LLC boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 118.4% during the 3rd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,314 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $231.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ferguson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $237.14.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.