Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Ian Graham Sells 99 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Ian Graham sold 99 Ferguson shares for approximately $21,842 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his ownership by 0.87% while retaining 11,344 shares.
• Financial performance: Ferguson reported quarterly earnings of $3.39 per share, beating consensus expectations of $3.23, on $8.75 billion in revenue. Analysts project $11.42 in full-year EPS.
• Market outlook: Ferguson shares recently traded at $231.74, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $285.78. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share, yielding about 1.5% annually.

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) insider Ian Graham sold 99 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total transaction of $21,842.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 11,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,502,826.72. This trade represents a 0.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 Price Performance

Shares of FERG stock traded up $2.98 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $231.74. 348,936 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,679,277. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $212.13 and a 52 week high of $271.64. The stock has a market cap 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock's 50-day moving average is $228.56 and its 200-day moving average is $234.55.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, research analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were issued 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 yield of 1.5%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FERG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $252.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Ferguson from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $285.78.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

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

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Vega Investment Solutions lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 50.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vega Investment Solutions now owns 277 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 300 shares of the company's stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 93.5% during the 2nd quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. now owns 296 shares of the company's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. 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.

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