Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Shares Acquired by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 20.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,801 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 645 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $1,801,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. My Legacy Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Watsco by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 687 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC raised its holdings in Watsco by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $567,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC lifted its position in Watsco by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 754 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in Watsco by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,686 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its position in Watsco by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 7,692 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,645,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Watsco Price Performance

Shares of WSO opened at $477.78 on Friday. Watsco, Inc. has a 1-year low of $396.82 and a 1-year high of $571.42. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $496.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $499.29. The stock has a market cap of $19.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.06 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Watsco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $3.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This is an increase from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.70. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. Watsco’s payout ratio is 81.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.