Crown Oak Advisors LLC Invests $9.06 Million in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Crown Oak Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 21,138 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $9,057,000. Watsco accounts for about 5.3% of Crown Oak Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Crown Oak Advisors LLC owned about 0.05% of Watsco as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Watsco by 0.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,325,958 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,013,220,000 after purchasing an additional 14,122 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Watsco by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,670,785 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $531,577,000 after buying an additional 32,734 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 105,561.2% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,494,050 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $372,616,000 after acquiring an additional 1,492,636 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Watsco by 0.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,310,201 shares of the construction company's stock worth $476,973,000 after acquiring an additional 9,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Watsco by 0.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,127,943 shares of the construction company's stock worth $343,617,000 after acquiring an additional 3,540 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.71% of the company's stock.

Watsco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSO traded up $5.52 during trading on Friday, reaching $417.71. The stock had a trading volume of 280,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 329,740. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $408.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $397.37. Watsco, Inc. has a one year low of $309.17 and a one year high of $447.49. The stock has a market cap of $16.50 billion, a PE ratio of 30.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 3.36.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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). Watsco had a return on equity of 21.36% and a net margin of 7.36%. The business had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.35 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. This is a boost from Watsco's previous quarterly dividend of $2.45. Watsco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Watsco from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $396.00.

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.