CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Reduces Position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA trimmed its stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 20.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,121 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 809 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Watsco were worth $1,479,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WSO. First Hawaiian Bank grew its holdings in Watsco by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 4,435 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Watsco during the 4th quarter valued at about $445,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 534 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Watsco by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 464,061 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $228,263,000 after acquiring an additional 41,845 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in shares of Watsco by 7.5% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 54,408 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,762,000 after purchasing an additional 3,813 shares during the period. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Watsco Stock Up 1.1 %

WSO stock traded up $5.24 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $469.10. The company had a trading volume of 40,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,003. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $510.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $491.94. Watsco, Inc. has a 12-month low of $373.33 and a 12-month high of $571.41. The company has a market capitalization of $18.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.25 and a beta of 0.95.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.73 by ($0.51). Watsco had a return on equity of 17.77% and a net margin of 6.99%. The firm had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Watsco, Inc. will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $2.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.46%.

Insider Activity at Watsco

In other Watsco news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 12.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of Watsco in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th.

Watsco Company 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.