Natixis Advisors LLC Purchases 80 Shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 88,932 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $42,144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Watsco during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Watsco during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Quarry LP grew 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 acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Watsco during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in Watsco during the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WSO. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of Watsco in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Watsco in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. 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 company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $486.25.

Watsco Trading Up 3.4 %

Watsco stock opened at $508.47 on Monday. Watsco, Inc. has a 1 year low of $396.82 and a 1 year high of $571.42. The company has a market cap of $20.54 billion, a PE ratio of 38.38 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $489.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $495.31.

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 business had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 17.59%. Research analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were given a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is 81.51%.

Insider Activity at Watsco

In related news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total value of $5,589,293.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 12.86% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.