Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) COO Sells $79,248.50 in Stock

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

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FERG traded up $2.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $231.74. 348,936 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,679,277. Ferguson plc has a 1 year low of $212.13 and a 1 year high of $271.64. The company has a market cap of $44.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.23, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.73. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $228.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.55.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The firm 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%. Equities analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.83%.

Key Stories Impacting Ferguson

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s prior quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $3.39 versus the $3.23 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a generally bullish outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $285.78. Ferguson analyst and earnings information
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple executives, including COO William Thees Jr., VP Anthony Camposano, Ian Graham, Jake Schlicher and Kevin Murphy, completed additional sales on October 14–15. The sellers retained substantial holdings, suggesting the transactions may reflect routine portfolio diversification rather than a broad loss of confidence in Ferguson’s business. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Recent filings show significant aggregate insider selling, including Kevin Murphy’s sale of 11,259 shares for approximately $2.44 million on October 12 and CFO William Brundage’s sale of 5,986 shares worth about $1.31 million. Additional sales by other executives bring the recent reported total to roughly $6 million, potentially weighing on sentiment. SEC insider sale filing

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Saudi Central Bank raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 88.5% in the 2nd quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 13,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,229,000 after acquiring an additional 6,389 shares during the period. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich boosted its position in shares of Ferguson by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich now owns 326,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,509,000 after purchasing an additional 7,916 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $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 approximately $1,806,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 target price on Ferguson in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Ferguson from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zelman & Associates raised Ferguson from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $261.00 price target on shares of Ferguson in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $285.78.

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.