2,812 Shares in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Bought by Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super acquired a new stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,812 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,333,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Watsco in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Watsco in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Watsco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Watsco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in Watsco by 76.2% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 148 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WSO. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Watsco in a report on Monday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $515.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital raised their target price on Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Watsco in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $492.00.

Watsco Stock Performance

Watsco stock opened at $510.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.54 and a beta of 1.00. Watsco, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $396.82 and a fifty-two week high of $571.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $498.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $499.13.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.13 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 17.59%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $3.00 per share. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. This is a boost from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.70. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.57%.

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.