Key Points
- Insider Kevin Murphy sold 685 Ferguson shares for approximately $151,132 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his direct ownership by 0.40%. He also recently sold an additional 13,035 shares in two transactions.
- Ferguson shares rose 1.2% to $231.42, while the company’s latest quarterly earnings of $3.39 per share exceeded the $3.23 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $285.78.
- Ferguson pays a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share, equivalent to a 1.5% annual yield, and institutional investors hold approximately 82% of the company’s stock.
Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) insider Ian Graham sold 99 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total transaction of $21,842.37. Following the transaction, the insider owned 11,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,502,826.72. The trade was a 0.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Ferguson Trading Up 1.2%
Shares of NYSE:FERG traded up $2.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $231.42. 2,143,287 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,429,344. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $212.13 and a 1-year high of $271.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $228.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $234.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.14.
Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The business had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.
Ferguson Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 41.83%.
Institutional Trading of Ferguson
Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Saudi Central Bank boosted 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 acquiring an additional 6,389 shares during the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich grew 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 valued at $77,509,000 after purchasing an additional 7,916 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,183,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased 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 purchasing an additional 11,196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lmcg Investments LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,806,000. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several analysts have commented on FERG shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 target price on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Two investment 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $285.78.
Read Our Latest Report on FERG
Ferguson Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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