Insider Selling: Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) COO Sells $47,876.71 in Stock

Key Points

• Ferguson COO William Thees Jr. sold 217 shares for approximately $47,877 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, reducing his position by 0.67% while retaining 32,370 shares.
• Ferguson shares recently traded at $231.74, while the company’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations with EPS of $3.39 versus the $3.23 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $285.78.
• Recent filings indicate roughly $6 million in aggregate insider selling by Ferguson executives, though sellers retained substantial holdings and the transactions may represent routine diversification rather than diminished confidence.

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) COO William Thees, Jr. sold 217 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total value of $47,876.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,370 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,141,793.10. This trade represents a 0.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Ferguson stock traded up $2.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $231.74. The stock had a trading volume of 348,936 shares, 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 firm'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 PE ratio of 27.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

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

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were given a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 41.83%.

Key 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 Trading of Ferguson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FERG. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. boosted 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 valued at $18,582,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 38.9% in 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 during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth $4,079,000. Formuepleje A S bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth $1,960,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth $864,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Ferguson from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $315.00 to $265.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 target price on Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Two research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $285.78.

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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