Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Shares Sold by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG trimmed its holdings in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 15.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,333 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,390 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Watsco were worth $8,688,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WSO. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in Watsco by 32.2% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,258 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,094,000 after acquiring an additional 1,038 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Watsco by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 51,590 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,645,000 after purchasing an additional 2,738 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in Watsco by 2,128.1% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 107,463 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $52,880,000 after purchasing an additional 102,640 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position 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 buying an additional 41,845 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in Watsco in the fourth quarter valued at $10,446,000. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Watsco Trading Down 2.6 %

WSO stock opened at $500.42 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $496.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $498.74. The company has a market capitalization of $20.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.77 and a beta of 0.92. Watsco, Inc. has a 52 week low of $396.82 and a 52 week high of $571.42.

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

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a $2.70 dividend. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.51%.

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.