Insider Selling: Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Sells 969 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Ferguson plc insider Allison Stirrup sold 969 shares of the company's stock for a total value of $226,968.87, reducing their ownership by 16.08%.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, with a yield of 1.4%, to be paid on November 7th.
• Ferguson's stock has received mixed ratings from analysts, with price targets ranging from $225.00 to $262.00 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) insider Allison Stirrup sold 969 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.23, for a total value of $226,968.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,184,735.34. This trade represents a 16.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Ferguson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FERG traded down $3.34 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $237.08. 557,061 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,754,202. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.68. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $146.00 and a 12-month high of $243.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $229.59.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.48. Ferguson had a return on equity of 35.21% and a net margin of 6.03%.The business had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.44 billion.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Investors of record on Friday, September 26th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 35.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on FERG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ferguson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday. Truist Financial upped their target price on Ferguson from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Ferguson from $260.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $237.14.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,341,871 shares of the company's stock worth $4,211,692,000 after buying an additional 173,128 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Ferguson by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,687,611 shares of the company's stock worth $1,673,977,000 after buying an additional 27,312 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Ferguson by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,818,800 shares of the company's stock worth $1,092,576,000 after buying an additional 827,355 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Ferguson by 65.0% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,454,467 shares of the company's stock worth $713,740,000 after buying an additional 1,755,464 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 39.3% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,255,661 shares of the company's stock worth $926,830,000 after buying an additional 1,201,493 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ferguson

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.

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