Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Insider Allison Stirrup Sells 922 Shares of Stock

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Allison Stirrup sold 922 shares of Ferguson stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $207,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,583,550. This represents a 11.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.2%

FERG stock traded up $2.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $231.42. The stock had a trading volume of 2,143,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,429,344. The firm has a market cap of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. 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 price of $228.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $234.52.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last issued its quarterly 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on FERG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $261.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $285.78.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kintegral Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Ferguson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Kintegral Advisory LLC now owns 14,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,229,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 1.8% in the third quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 13,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,976,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Ferguson by 0.5% in the third quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 83,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,582,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Ferguson by 38.9% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,264,000 after acquiring an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,079,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Ferguson

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.

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.