Insider Selling: Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) CAO Sells 919 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Ferguson CAO Richard Winckler sold 919 shares for about $238,315, reducing his holdings by 29.83% to 2,162 shares.
• Ferguson reported quarterly earnings of $3.43 per share, beating the $3.28 consensus estimate, on revenue of $9.03 billion.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $289.50; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share.

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) CAO Richard Winckler sold 919 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.32, for a total transaction of $238,315.08. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $560,649.84. The trade was a 29.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Ferguson stock traded down $4.74 during trading on Thursday, hitting $259.76. The stock had a trading volume of 336,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,671,492. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $212.13 and a 1 year high of $271.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock's 50 day moving average is $227.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.30. The stock has a market cap of $50.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.11.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 9th. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.15. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.69% and a net margin of 6.73%. The business had revenue of $9.03 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.50 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 20th. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on FERG shares. Citigroup raised Ferguson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $285.00 to $288.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $256.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Ferguson from $295.00 to $292.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $295.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $289.50.

More Ferguson News

Here's some of the latest news about FERG:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays said Ferguson’s stock is expected to rise, adding to the recent favorable analyst outlook. Ferguson Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird forecast strong price appreciation for Ferguson shares, signaling confidence in potential upside. Robert W. Baird Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Ferguson Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s shares previously gapped up after the company reported quarterly EPS of $3.43, above the $3.28 analyst consensus. Ferguson Shares Gap Up on Earnings Beat

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 4.3% in the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 1,197 shares of the company's stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Ferguson by 9.8% during the third quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 581 shares of the company's stock valued at $129,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. L2 Asset Management LLC grew its position in Ferguson by 5.2% during the second quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 1,109 shares of the company's stock worth $263,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Ferguson by 3.8% during the second quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the company's stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ferguson by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 1,324 shares of the company's stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc is a distributor of plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), waterworks, and fire protection products. It supplies contractors and other professional customers with products, services, and expertise for residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects. The company serves customers primarily in the United States and Canada through branches, distribution centers, and digital channels. Its offerings include pipes, valves and fittings, plumbing fixtures, HVAC equipment, water and wastewater products, and fire protection systems.

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