Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Shares Sold by Capital Analysts LLC

Capital Analysts LLC decreased its holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,996 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 39 shares during the quarter. Capital Analysts LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Watsco by 0.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,325,958 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,013,220,000 after buying an additional 14,122 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Watsco by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,670,785 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $531,577,000 after acquiring an additional 32,734 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Watsco by 105,561.2% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,494,050 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $372,616,000 after acquiring an additional 1,492,636 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Watsco by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,310,201 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $476,973,000 after acquiring an additional 9,201 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,127,943 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $343,617,000 after purchasing an additional 3,540 shares during the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Watsco from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $396.00.

Watsco Stock Performance

Shares of WSO stock opened at $413.33 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $409.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $397.98. The company has a market cap of $16.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.26 and a beta of 0.90. Watsco, Inc. has a 12-month low of $310.20 and a 12-month high of $447.49.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The construction company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.50 by ($0.44). The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. Watsco had a return on equity of 21.36% and a net margin of 7.36%. Watsco’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.35 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.17 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.61%. This is a boost from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.45. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.06%.

Watsco Company Profile

Watsco, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution of air conditioning, heating, refrigeration equipment, and related parts and supplies in the United States and internationally. The company distributes equipment, including residential ducted and ductless air conditioners, such as gas, electric, and oil furnaces; commercial air conditioning and heating equipment systems; and other specialized equipment.