Watsco (NYSE:WSO) Reaches New 1-Year High at $442.26

Shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $442.26 and last traded at $441.50, with a volume of 66766 shares. The stock had previously closed at $432.22.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WSO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Watsco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $387.00 to $500.00 in a research report on Friday, December 8th. Stephens upped their price objective on Watsco from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, December 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Watsco from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $396.00.

Watsco Stock Up 2.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 3.36. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $403.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $393.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.54 billion, a PE ratio of 32.51, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.90.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The construction company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by ($0.44). The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.65 billion. Watsco had a return on equity of 21.36% and a net margin of 7.36%. The firm's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.35 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $2.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This is an increase from Watsco's previous quarterly dividend of $2.45. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Watsco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Watsco

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Watsco by 105,561.2% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,494,050 shares of the construction company's stock worth $372,616,000 after purchasing an additional 1,492,636 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Watsco in the fourth quarter valued at about $69,643,000. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Watsco by 1,635.4% during the second quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 254,805 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $97,202,000 after acquiring an additional 240,122 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Watsco by 40,702.6% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 205,237 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $87,938,000 after purchasing an additional 204,734 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Watsco by 120.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 300,059 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $113,338,000 after acquiring an additional 163,915 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company's stock.

About Watsco

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.