Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) Short Interest Down 29.4% in March

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 726,700 shares, a decline of 29.4% from the February 28th total of 1,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 524,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 2.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comfort Systems USA

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Consolidated Planning Corp raised its position in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 49.0% in the fourth quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 4,783 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,028,000 after purchasing an additional 1,573 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA during the 4th quarter valued at $2,998,000. Zacks Investment Management lifted its holdings in Comfort Systems USA by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 8,650 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 1,795 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Comfort Systems USA in the 4th quarter worth about $39,038,000. Finally, BOCHK Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in Comfort Systems USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $509,000. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Comfort Systems USA Stock Performance

FIX traded up $7.24 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $329.57. 509,036 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 425,028. The firm has a market cap of $11.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.56 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Comfort Systems USA has a one year low of $272.93 and a one year high of $553.09. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $390.21 and its 200 day moving average is $419.16.

Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The construction company reported $4.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.46. Comfort Systems USA had a net margin of 7.43% and a return on equity of 35.28%. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.77 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Comfort Systems USA will post 16.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Comfort Systems USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. This is a positive change from Comfort Systems USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Comfort Systems USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Comfort Systems USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Comfort Systems USA from $577.00 to $471.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Sidoti raised shares of Comfort Systems USA from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $552.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Comfort Systems USA from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $530.75.

About Comfort Systems USA

Comfort Systems USA, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides mechanical and electrical installation, renovation, maintenance, repair, and replacement services for the mechanical and electrical services industry in the United States. It operates through two segments, Mechanical and Electrical. The company offers heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, as well as plumbing, electrical, piping and controls, off-site construction, monitoring, and fire protection.