Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Kevin Michael Murphy Sells 11,259 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Kevin Michael Murphy sold 11,259 Ferguson shares for approximately $2.44 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, reducing his stake by 6.08% while retaining 173,863 shares.
• Stock performance and valuation: Ferguson shares traded at $222.95, near the lower end of their 52-week range of $212.13 to $271.64. The company has a market capitalization of about $43.13 billion and a P/E ratio of 26.20.
• Analyst outlook and fundamentals: Ferguson recently exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $3.39 in EPS versus a $3.23 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $283.07, while the company pays an annualized dividend of $3.56 per share.

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) insider Kevin Michael Murphy sold 11,259 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total transaction of $2,440,726.02. Following the sale, the insider owned 173,863 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,690,021.14. The trade was a 6.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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 NYSE:FERG traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $222.95. 1,358,631 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,685,467. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business's fifty day moving average is $229.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.51. Ferguson plc has a one year low of $212.13 and a one year high of $271.64. The stock has a market cap of $43.13 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. The company 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, analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were given 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 dividend yield of 1.6%. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 target price on Ferguson in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $261.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.07.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 5,981,791 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,331,621,000 after buying an additional 434,650 shares during the period. Man Group plc raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 613.8% in the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 401,395 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,263,000 after acquiring an additional 345,165 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 43.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,029,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $240,234,000 after acquiring an additional 312,756 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 9.2% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,868,181 shares of the company's stock valued at $668,809,000 after acquiring an additional 240,666 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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