CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Trims Position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA decreased its holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 20.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,121 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 809 shares during the quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Watsco were worth $1,479,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Hawaiian Bank boosted its stake in shares of Watsco by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 4,435 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Watsco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $445,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Watsco by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 534 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Watsco by 9.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 464,061 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $228,263,000 after purchasing an additional 41,845 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in Watsco by 7.5% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 54,408 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,762,000 after buying an additional 3,813 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Watsco

In other Watsco news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total value of $5,589,293.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 12.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on Watsco in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th.

Watsco Trading Up 1.1 %

WSO stock traded up $5.24 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $469.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 40,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,003. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $510.69 and its 200-day moving average is $491.94. Watsco, Inc. has a 12 month low of $373.33 and a 12 month high of $571.41. The company has a market cap of $18.94 billion, a PE ratio of 36.25 and a beta of 0.95.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.73 by ($0.51). Watsco had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.77%. The business had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Watsco, Inc. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders 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 2.30%. Watsco’s payout ratio is 83.46%.

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.