Insider Selling: Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) VP Sells 1,580 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Ferguson VP Anthony Camposano sold 1,580 shares at an average price of $218.74, generating approximately $345,609. The Rule 10b5-1 transaction reduced his direct ownership by 12.61% to 10,952 shares.
• Ferguson shares recently traded at $222.95, near the lower end of their 12-month range of $212.13 to $271.64. The company reported quarterly EPS of $3.39, beating analyst expectations of $3.23, and maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.89.
• Analysts hold a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $283.07, while institutional investors own approximately 81.98% of the company.

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) VP Anthony Camposano sold 1,580 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total transaction of $345,609.20. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 10,952 shares in the company, valued at $2,395,640.48. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE FERG traded up $0.09 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $222.95. 1,358,631 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,685,467. Ferguson plc has a 12 month low of $212.13 and a 12 month high of $271.64. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $229.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $234.51. 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 company 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 6.82%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.83%.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Saudi Central Bank boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 88.5% in the second quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 13,607 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,229,000 after acquiring an additional 6,389 shares during the period. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich now owns 326,515 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,509,000 after purchasing an additional 7,916 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth $2,183,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in Ferguson by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 96,108 shares of the company's stock worth $22,932,000 after purchasing an additional 11,196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lmcg Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 1st quarter worth $1,806,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FERG. The Goldman Sachs Group cut 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. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Ferguson from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $285.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and issued a $261.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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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