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

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) COO William Thees, Jr. sold 353 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 31,745 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,126,752.50. This trade represents a 1.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:FERG opened at $231.42 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $212.13 and a 12-month high of $271.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.14. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $228.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $234.52.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.83%.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FERG. Saudi Central Bank raised its stake in Ferguson by 88.5% during the 2nd quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 13,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,229,000 after buying an additional 6,389 shares during the period. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich lifted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in Ferguson during the second quarter worth about $2,183,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 11,196 shares during the period. Finally, Lmcg Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the first quarter valued at about $1,806,000. Institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Ferguson News Roundup

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on FERG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered 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. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zelman & Associates upgraded 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. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 price objective 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.