Versor Investments LP Decreases Stock Holdings in Comfort Systems USA, Inc. $FIX

Key Points

• Versor Investments LP reduced its stake in Comfort Systems USA, Inc. by 28.5% in the first quarter, owning 1,278 shares valued at $412,000 after selling 510 shares.
• Comfort Systems USA reported earnings per share of $6.53 for the last quarter, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate of $4.84, with revenue up 20.1% year-over-year.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.45 to $0.50 per share, reflecting a payout ratio of 10.28%.

Versor Investments LP lessened its holdings in Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX - Free Report) by 28.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,278 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 510 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP's holdings in Comfort Systems USA were worth $412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Comfort Systems USA by 0.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,802,542 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,225,673,000 after purchasing an additional 21,847 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its position in Comfort Systems USA by 0.5% in the first quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 889,639 shares of the construction company's stock worth $286,757,000 after purchasing an additional 4,512 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Comfort Systems USA by 36.4% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 519,437 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $167,430,000 after acquiring an additional 138,541 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Comfort Systems USA by 5.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 388,638 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $125,253,000 after acquiring an additional 20,854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Comfort Systems USA by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 314,821 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $133,503,000 after acquiring an additional 52,726 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Comfort Systems USA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Comfort Systems USA from $512.00 to $581.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Comfort Systems USA from $545.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Northcoast Research cut shares of Comfort Systems USA from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Comfort Systems USA from $630.00 to $810.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $635.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Julie Shaeff sold 1,369 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $704.50, for a total value of $964,460.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 16,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,288,203.50. This represents a 7.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian E. Lane sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $691.74, for a total transaction of $6,917,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 188,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $130,078,940.04. This trade represents a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,205 shares of company stock valued at $20,932,366 over the last quarter. 1.59% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Comfort Systems USA Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE:FIX traded down $4.7380 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $689.2620. The company's stock had a trading volume of 525,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 467,026. Comfort Systems USA, Inc. has a 1 year low of $276.44 and a 1 year high of $733.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $598.23 and a 200-day moving average of $466.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.32 billion, a PE ratio of 35.42 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The construction company reported $6.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.84 by $1.69. Comfort Systems USA had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The company had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.74 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 20.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Comfort Systems USA, Inc. will post 16.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Comfort Systems USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from Comfort Systems USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. Comfort Systems USA's payout ratio is currently 10.28%.

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.