Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) Receives Average Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Comfort Systems USA has an average analyst rating of “Buy” from 10 research firms, with most calling it a buy or strong buy and an average price target of about $1,969.
• The company posted a strong quarterly beat, reporting $10.51 EPS versus $6.81 expected and $2.87 billion in revenue versus $2.39 billion expected, with revenue up 56.5% year over year.
• Comfort Systems USA also raised its dividend to $0.80 per quarter from $0.70, while recent insider sales and heavy institutional ownership suggest continued investor attention on the stock.

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Buy" by the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,969.3333.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Comfort Systems USA from $1,611.00 to $1,819.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Comfort Systems USA from $1,680.00 to $1,992.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Comfort Systems USA in a report on Thursday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $2,200.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Comfort Systems USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, Glj Research assumed coverage on shares of Comfort Systems USA in a report on Monday, April 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $2,001.00 price objective on the stock.

Comfort Systems USA Price Performance

NYSE FIX opened at $1,783.45 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $62.78 billion, a PE ratio of 51.46 and a beta of 1.66. Comfort Systems USA has a 52 week low of $465.05 and a 52 week high of $2,073.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $1,699.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,330.69.

Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $10.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.81 by $3.70. The business had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.39 billion. Comfort Systems USA had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 51.69%. The company's revenue was up 56.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.75 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Comfort Systems USA will post 43.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Comfort Systems USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This is a positive change from Comfort Systems USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Comfort Systems USA's payout ratio is currently 9.23%.

Insider Transactions at Comfort Systems USA

In other news, Director Rhoman J. Hardy sold 342 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,900.08, for a total value of $649,827.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,890 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,591,151.20. This represents a 15.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Franklin Myers sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,902.57, for a total transaction of $8,561,565.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 68,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,244,986.31. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 24,078 shares of company stock valued at $46,651,175. Company insiders own 1.24% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comfort Systems USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 100.0% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 30 shares of the construction company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Comfort Systems USA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 40 shares of the construction company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 44 shares of the construction company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Comfort Systems USA

Comfort Systems USA, Inc is a U.S.-based mechanical contracting company that provides a range of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) services to commercial, industrial and institutional customers. The company focuses on the design, installation, maintenance and repair of HVAC systems, and it supports projects from initial engineering and system selection through long-term service agreements and upgrades.

Its service offerings include new construction and retrofit installations, preventive and corrective maintenance, emergency repair, energy management and building automation systems.

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