Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) Short Interest Up 38.9% in February

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,030,000 shares, an increase of 38.9% from the February 13th total of 741,400 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 497,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Comfort Systems USA Stock Performance

NYSE FIX opened at $346.14 on Tuesday. Comfort Systems USA has a fifty-two week low of $272.93 and a fifty-two week high of $553.09. The stock has a market cap of $12.31 billion, a PE ratio of 23.69 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $414.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $417.48.

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

Comfort Systems USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Comfort Systems USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Comfort Systems USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.95%.

Institutional Trading of Comfort Systems USA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Comfort Systems USA by 1,925.0% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 81 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Comfort Systems USA by 183.3% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 85 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 352.6% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 86 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Comfort Systems USA by 131.1% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 104 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 41.3% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 106 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on FIX. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Comfort Systems USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Comfort Systems USA from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of Comfort Systems USA in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $525.00 target price for the company. Sidoti upgraded shares of Comfort Systems USA from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $552.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Comfort Systems USA from $577.00 to $471.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “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.