Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Sells 3,138 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Jake Schlicher sold 3,138 Ferguson shares for approximately $686,406 at an average price of $218.74, reducing his holdings by 24.85% to 9,490 shares. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
• Operating performance: Ferguson reported quarterly EPS of $3.39, beating analyst estimates of $3.23, on revenue of $8.75 billion. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $11.42.
• Market outlook and shareholder returns: Ferguson shares recently traded near $222.95, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $283.07. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.89, equivalent to a 1.6% yield.

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) insider Jake Schlicher sold 3,138 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total value of $686,406.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,490 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,075,842.60. This represents a 24.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Jake Schlicher also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, August 28th, Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of Ferguson stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total value of $1,195,472.84.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of Ferguson stock traded up $0.09 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $222.95. 1,358,631 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,685,467. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $212.13 and a 1 year high of $271.64. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.51. 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 has a market capitalization of $43.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a PEG 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $8.75 billion for the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a $0.89 dividend. 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 payout ratio is currently 41.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ferguson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Saudi Central Bank lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 88.5% in the 2nd quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 13,607 shares of the company's stock worth $3,229,000 after purchasing an additional 6,389 shares during the period. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich grew its position in Ferguson by 2.5% during the second quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich now owns 326,515 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,509,000 after buying an additional 7,916 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Ferguson during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,183,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in Ferguson by 13.2% during the second quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 96,108 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,932,000 after buying an additional 11,196 shares during the period. Finally, Lmcg Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,806,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on FERG shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. 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 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $283.07.

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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