Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX) Trading 8.2% Higher on Strong Earnings

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 8.2% during mid-day trading on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $407.42 and last traded at $407.13. Approximately 198,895 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 54% from the average daily volume of 436,680 shares. The stock had previously closed at $376.21.

The construction company reported $4.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.66 by $1.09. Comfort Systems USA had a return on equity of 35.28% and a net margin of 7.43%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Comfort Systems USA's revenue was up 19.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Comfort Systems USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. This is a positive change from Comfort Systems USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Comfort Systems USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Sidoti upgraded Comfort Systems USA from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $552.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Comfort Systems USA from $440.00 to $465.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Comfort Systems USA from $577.00 to $471.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Comfort Systems USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Comfort Systems USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $517.60.

Institutional Trading of Comfort Systems USA

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,780,695 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,603,242,000 after acquiring an additional 67,240 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,697,035 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $719,645,000 after acquiring an additional 148,493 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 769,534 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $326,409,000 after purchasing an additional 21,406 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Comfort Systems USA during the 4th quarter worth about $217,771,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in Comfort Systems USA by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 467,838 shares of the construction company's stock worth $198,391,000 after purchasing an additional 51,771 shares during the period. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Comfort Systems USA Price Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $346.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $412.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.94 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.04.

About Comfort Systems USA

Comfort Systems USA, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides mechanical and electrical installation, renovation, maintenance, repair, and replacement services for the mechanical and electrical services industry in the United States. It operates through two segments, Mechanical and Electrical. The company offers heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, as well as plumbing, electrical, piping and controls, off-site construction, monitoring, and fire protection.