R Squared Ltd Invests $90,000 in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 190 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $90,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 32.2% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,258 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,094,000 after buying an additional 1,038 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its position in shares of Watsco by 40.6% in the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,217 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,582,000 after purchasing an additional 929 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Watsco by 3,571.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 1.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 64,758 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $31,853,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Watsco by 5.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 51,590 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,645,000 after acquiring an additional 2,738 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WSO opened at $483.62 on Friday. Watsco, Inc. has a twelve month low of $373.33 and a twelve month high of $571.41. The company has a market cap of $19.53 billion, a PE ratio of 37.37 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s 50 day moving average is $501.33 and its 200 day moving average is $492.98.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a dividend of $2.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.46%.

Insider Activity at Watsco

In related news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total value of $5,589,293.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 12.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Watsco in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on Watsco in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Watsco currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $488.33.

Watsco 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.