Two Sigma Securities LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Two Sigma Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) by 170.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,753 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,104 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC's holdings in Watsco were worth $831,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tudor Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Watsco during the third quarter valued at approximately $588,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 500.0% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the construction company's stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in Watsco by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,269 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,116,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Watsco by 5.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 51,590 shares of the construction company's stock worth $25,645,000 after acquiring an additional 2,738 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Watsco in the third quarter worth $1,332,000. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company's stock.

Watsco Stock Up 1.0 %

WSO stock traded up $4.58 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $464.42. 60,378 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 254,947. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $495.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $498.01. Watsco, Inc. has a 12-month low of $439.08 and a 12-month high of $571.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.02 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Watsco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a $3.00 dividend. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. This is an increase from Watsco's previous quarterly dividend of $2.70. Watsco's dividend payout ratio is currently 92.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSO has been the subject of several research reports. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho set a $490.00 target price on shares of Watsco in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Watsco from $475.00 to $455.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Watsco from $560.00 to $540.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Watsco from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Watsco currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $480.83.

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.