Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock: Insider Ian Graham Sells 1,854 Shares

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) insider Ian Graham sold 1,854 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.74, for a total value of $405,543.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 11,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,517,916.14. The trade was a 13.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Performance

NYSE FERG traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $222.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,358,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,685,467. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $229.67 and a 200 day moving average of $234.51. The stock has a market cap of $43.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.14. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $212.13 and a 52-week high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) 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 net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. Sell-side analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s payout ratio is presently 41.83%.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank raised its position in shares of Ferguson by 88.5% during the 2nd quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 13,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,229,000 after buying an additional 6,389 shares during the period. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich increased its stake in Ferguson by 2.5% during the second quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich now owns 326,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,509,000 after acquiring an additional 7,916 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the second quarter worth $2,183,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Ferguson by 13.2% in the second quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 96,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,932,000 after purchasing an additional 11,196 shares during the period. Finally, Lmcg Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the first quarter valued at $1,806,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group increased their price target on Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 price objective on Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.07.

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.