Victoria Morrissey Sells 1,468 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Stock

Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) CMO Victoria Morrissey sold 1,468 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.20, for a total transaction of $295,361.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,205 shares in the company, valued at $1,047,246. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Ferguson Stock Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:FERG opened at $205.09 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $41.17 billion, a PE ratio of 24.04, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $200.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $205.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.80. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $147.62 and a 52-week high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 last year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ferguson plc will post 9.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 27th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. Ferguson’s payout ratio is currently 37.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Ferguson from $211.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $232.29.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of FERG. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the third quarter worth $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at $32,000. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 1st quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Ferguson by 2,462.5% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ferguson

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.