New York State Teachers Retirement System Has $17.59 Million Stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

New York State Teachers Retirement System decreased its holdings in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 37,111 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Watsco were worth $17,587,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WSO. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Watsco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Watsco in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Watsco by 57.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 90 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Watsco in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Watsco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James initiated coverage on Watsco in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Northcoast Research started coverage on Watsco in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Three investment 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, Watsco has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $488.33.

Insider Transactions at Watsco

In other news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total transaction of $5,589,293.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 12.86% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Stock Performance

NYSE:WSO opened at $485.21 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.59 billion, a PE ratio of 37.50 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $485.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $491.07. Watsco, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $373.33 and a fifty-two week high of $571.41.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a dividend of $2.70 per share. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.