Insider Selling: Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Sells $151,131.55 in Stock

Key Points

• Kevin Murphy sold 685 Ferguson shares for $151,131.55 at an average price of $220.63 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, leaving him with 172,325 shares worth roughly $38.0 million.
• Murphy also sold 1,776 shares for $398,712 on October 15 and 11,259 shares for approximately $2.44 million on October 12. Recent insider sales across executives total roughly $6 million, though sellers retained substantial holdings.
• Ferguson shares recently traded at $231.74, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $285.78. The company also exceeded its latest earnings estimate, reporting $3.39 in EPS versus the $3.23 consensus.

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) insider Kevin Murphy sold 685 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total transaction of $151,131.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 172,325 shares in the company, valued at $38,020,064.75. The trade was a 0.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kevin Michael Murphy also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, October 15th, Kevin Murphy sold 1,776 shares of Ferguson stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total transaction of $398,712.00.
• On Monday, October 12th, Kevin Murphy sold 11,259 shares of Ferguson stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total transaction of $2,440,726.02.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of Ferguson stock traded up $2.98 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $231.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 348,936 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,679,277. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $212.13 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The business has a fifty day moving average of $228.56 and a 200 day moving average of $234.55. The company 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 issued its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities analysts forecast that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting 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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Zelman & Associates upgraded Ferguson from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $285.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Ferguson from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set a "hold" rating and a $252.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $261.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $285.78.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. Vega Investment Solutions lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 50.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vega Investment Solutions now owns 277 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 93.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Ferguson by 26.1% in 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 in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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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