Richard Winckler Sells 1,325 Shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) Stock

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

Ferguson Trading Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ:FERG traded up $2.74 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $202.83. 1,587,097 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,266,257. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $40.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.69, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $200.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $205.30. Ferguson plc has a 52-week low of $147.62 and a 52-week high of $225.63.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 17th. The company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $7.95 billion for 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%. Ferguson’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.86 EPS for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on FERG shares. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Ferguson from $203.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Ferguson from $238.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Ferguson from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.29.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferguson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in Ferguson in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ferguson in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferguson during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Ferguson by 2,462.5% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

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.