Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) COO Sells $79,248.50 in Stock

Key Points

• COO William Thees Jr. sold 353 Ferguson shares for approximately $79,249 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, reducing his holdings by 1.1% to 31,745 shares.
• Ferguson shares rose 1.3% to $231.74, while the company’s latest quarterly earnings of $3.39 per share exceeded analyst expectations of $3.23. Ferguson also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share, yielding about 1.5% annually.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $285.78, although recent insider selling totaling roughly $6 million could weigh on investor sentiment.

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) COO William Thees, Jr. sold 353 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total value of $79,248.50. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 31,745 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,126,752.50. This represents a 1.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of FERG stock traded up $2.98 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $231.74. 348,936 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,679,277. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $212.13 and a 12-month high of $271.64. The company's 50-day moving average price is $228.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.55. 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.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $8.75 billion during 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 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

More Ferguson News

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ferguson

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 0.5% in 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 during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Ferguson by 38.9% during 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 in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Ferguson during the third quarter worth approximately $4,079,000. Formuepleje A S acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,960,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the third quarter valued at approximately $864,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FERG has been the subject of several research reports. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. They set a "hold" rating and a $252.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays lifted their price target on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Ferguson from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $285.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.

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