Jake Schlicher Sells 3,000 Shares of Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock

Jake Schlicher, SVP of Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG), sold 3,000 shares at an average price of $233.52 on October 13, totaling $700,560. This sale reduced his ownership by 20.48%, leaving him with 11,651 shares valued at approximately $2.72 million. Ferguson's stock opened at $240.73, with a market cap of $47.22 billion. The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.83, payable on November 7. Analysts have raised price targets for Ferguson, with ratings ranging from "Buy" to "Outperform."

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) SVP Jake Schlicher sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.52, for a total transaction of $700,560.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,720,741.52. This trade represents a 20.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Ferguson Price Performance

Shares of FERG stock opened at $240.73 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.77, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50-day moving average is $229.93. Ferguson plc has a 1-year low of $146.00 and a 1-year high of $243.40.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 16th. The company reported $3.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.03% and a return on equity of 35.21%.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Investors of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Ferguson's payout ratio is 35.55%.

Institutional Trading of Ferguson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in Ferguson by 3.5% during the second quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,342 shares of the company's stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in Ferguson by 7.5% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 690 shares of the company's stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management raised its holdings in Ferguson by 51.5% during the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 153 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group raised its holdings in Ferguson by 4.5% during the third quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,314 shares of the company's stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Ferguson by 0.8% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,394 shares of the company's stock worth $1,185,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $260.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Ferguson from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $237.14.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Ferguson

About Ferguson

(Get Free Report)

Ferguson Enterprises Inc distributes plumbing and heating products in North America. The company provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, and fabrication, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to residential and non-residential customers.