Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Stock Holdings Lifted by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 47.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 13,608 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,349 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Watsco were worth $6,449,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 32.2% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,258 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,094,000 after buying an additional 1,038 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its holdings 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 valued at $1,582,000 after purchasing an additional 929 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Watsco by 3,571.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $560,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted 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 worth $25,645,000 after purchasing an additional 2,738 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Watsco by 2,128.1% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 107,463 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $52,880,000 after purchasing an additional 102,640 shares in the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Watsco Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WSO opened at $495.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.04 billion, a PE ratio of 37.43 and a beta of 0.92. Watsco, Inc. has a 1 year low of $396.82 and a 1 year high of $571.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $493.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $496.13.

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

Watsco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a $2.70 dividend. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is 81.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WSO shares. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Raymond James initiated coverage on Watsco in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Northcoast Research initiated coverage on Watsco in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $486.25.

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.