Caledonia Investments PLC Decreases Stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Caledonia Investments PLC decreased its position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 234,084 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 5,000 shares during the quarter. Watsco comprises about 13.6% of Caledonia Investments PLC's holdings, making the stock its largest position. Caledonia Investments PLC owned 0.59% of Watsco worth $100,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Watsco in the 4th quarter valued at about $536,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Watsco by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 648,662 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $245,013,000 after buying an additional 16,589 shares during the period. Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Watsco by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 295,833 shares of the construction company's stock worth $126,756,000 after purchasing an additional 16,006 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Watsco by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,342 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of Watsco by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 120,564 shares of the construction company's stock worth $46,137,000 after purchasing an additional 2,295 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stephens upped their price target on Watsco from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 11th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Watsco from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $396.00.

Watsco Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of Watsco stock traded down $7.55 on Tuesday, hitting $437.02. 228,129 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 344,146. The stock has a market cap of $17.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.94, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm's 50-day moving average is $406.03 and its 200 day moving average is $395.80. Watsco, Inc. has a 52-week low of $298.79 and a 52-week high of $447.49.

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

Watsco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be paid a $2.70 dividend. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. This is a boost from Watsco's previous quarterly dividend of $2.45. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. Watsco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.74%.

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.