Insider Selling: Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) CAO Sells 1,325 Shares of Stock

Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) CAO Richard Winckler sold 1,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.75, for a total value of $267,318.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,750. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FERG traded up $2.74 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $202.83. The company had a trading volume of 1,587,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,266,257. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $147.62 and a 1-year high of $225.63. The stock has a market cap of $40.72 billion, a PE ratio of 23.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $200.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $205.30.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.01 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.77 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ferguson plc will post 9.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. Ferguson’s payout ratio is 37.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on FERG. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup raised their price target on Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.29.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson during the 1st quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Ferguson by 2,462.5% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.