Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Shares Sold by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL lowered its holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 770,936 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 14,109 shares during the period. Watsco makes up 1.1% of Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Blair William & Co. IL owned approximately 1.91% of Watsco worth $365,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Watsco in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Watsco during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Watsco by 57.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 90 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Watsco during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Watsco in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. 89.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Watsco Trading Down 0.9 %

WSO stock opened at $513.40 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $495.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $497.75. Watsco, Inc. has a twelve month low of $396.82 and a twelve month high of $571.42. The stock has a market cap of $20.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.75 and a beta of 0.92.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 17.59%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were paid a dividend of $2.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WSO shares. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Watsco in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $486.25.

About Watsco

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.