Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) COO William Thees, Jr. Sells 353 Shares of Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) COO William Thees, Jr. sold 353 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.50, for a total value of $79,248.50. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 31,745 shares in the company, valued at $7,126,752.50. The trade was a 1.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG traded up $2.66 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $231.42. The company had a trading volume of 2,143,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,429,344. Ferguson plc has a twelve month low of $212.13 and a twelve month high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company’s 50-day moving average is $228.04 and its 200-day moving average is $234.52. The company has a market capitalization of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.14.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. The business 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. 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%.

More Ferguson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s most recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $3.39 versus the $3.23 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $285.78, well above recent trading levels, which may support investor confidence.
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to offer shareholder returns through its quarterly dividend, equivalent to $3.56 annually and a yield of approximately 1.6%. Ferguson also retains strong profitability, including a reported 37.24% return on equity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several Ferguson executives and insiders reported stock sales during the week, including COO William Thees Jr., VP Anthony Camposano, Ian Graham, Jake Schlicher, Allison Stirrup and Kevin Murphy. The reported transactions involved thousands of shares and several million dollars in aggregate proceeds. Ferguson insider trading report
• Neutral Sentiment: All of the disclosed sales were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. That reduces their significance as a signal that management expects Ferguson’s business or valuation to weaken, particularly because the sellers retained substantial positions.
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of insider selling could nevertheless create modest near-term pressure on sentiment and may limit the stock’s upside, especially with Ferguson trading below its 200-day moving average.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ferguson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the second quarter worth $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2.1% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,107,108 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,424,075,000 after purchasing an additional 125,317 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 1.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,619,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,474,000 after buying an additional 48,544 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 9.2% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,868,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $668,809,000 after buying an additional 240,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 0.8% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,055,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $487,796,000 after buying an additional 16,866 shares in the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on FERG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Ferguson from $290.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Two equities 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.