Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Purchases 1,225 Shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) by 10.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,084 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,225 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Watsco were worth $6,651,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Watsco by 4.8% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,028 shares of the construction company's stock worth $523,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Watsco by 133.1% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 844 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in Watsco by 2.6% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 4,077 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,072,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Watsco by 81.0% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,178 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $558,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Certior Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Watsco during the fourth quarter valued at $442,000. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on WSO. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Watsco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho set a $490.00 price objective on shares of Watsco in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Watsco from $560.00 to $540.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Watsco in a research report on Monday, April 14th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $515.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Watsco from $455.00 to $450.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $485.83.

Watsco Trading Up 0.3%

Watsco stock opened at $435.58 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $454.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $479.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.65 billion, a PE ratio of 33.48 and a beta of 1.06. Watsco, Inc. has a 12-month low of $418.31 and a 12-month high of $571.42.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.29 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. Watsco had a return on equity of 17.13% and a net margin of 6.98%. Watsco's revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.17 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a $3.00 dividend. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. This is an increase from Watsco's previous quarterly dividend of $2.70. Watsco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 92.24%.

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.

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