Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Holdings Lifted by Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.

Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. boosted its holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 144,435 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,665 shares during the quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. owned about 0.36% of Watsco worth $68,446,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI raised its position in shares of Watsco by 107.7% during the fourth quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 8,517 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,036,000 after purchasing an additional 4,417 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in Watsco by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,495 shares of the construction company's stock worth $709,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Watsco by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,016,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its stake in Watsco by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,552 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,157,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lifted its stake in Watsco by 215.0% during the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 4,193 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,987,000 after buying an additional 2,862 shares in the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Watsco Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE WSO opened at $488.06 on Tuesday. Watsco, Inc. has a 1-year low of $439.08 and a 1-year high of $571.42. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $489.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $497.58. The company has a market capitalization of $19.72 billion, a PE ratio of 36.83 and a beta of 1.11.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.29 by ($0.36). The business had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 17.59%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.17 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a $3.00 dividend. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. This is a boost from Watsco's previous quarterly dividend of $2.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. Watsco's payout ratio is presently 92.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WSO. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Watsco in a research report on Monday, April 14th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $515.00 target price on the stock. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho set a $490.00 target price on Watsco in a report on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com raised Watsco from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Watsco from $560.00 to $540.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Seven investment 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 company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $480.83.

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.

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