Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Has $15.72 Million Position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) by 2,636.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 33,169 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 31,957 shares during the quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC owned 0.08% of Watsco worth $15,718,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WSO. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Watsco by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,618,109 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,714,586,000 after purchasing an additional 52,127 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,371,535 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $649,957,000 after acquiring an additional 118,713 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 725,186 shares of the construction company's stock worth $343,168,000 after acquiring an additional 20,856 shares in the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. grew its position in Watsco by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 590,500 shares of the construction company's stock worth $279,832,000 after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Watsco by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 477,470 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $226,268,000 after purchasing an additional 13,409 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.71% of the company's stock.

Watsco Stock Up 2.5 %

NYSE WSO traded up $11.63 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $472.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 230,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,777. Watsco, Inc. has a twelve month low of $439.08 and a twelve month high of $571.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.68 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $494.54 and a 200 day moving average of $497.65.

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

Watsco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a dividend of $3.00 per share. This is a positive change from Watsco's previous quarterly dividend of $2.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. Watsco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James initiated coverage on Watsco in a report on Friday, January 17th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Watsco from $475.00 to $455.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Mizuho set a $490.00 target price on shares of Watsco in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, 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 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.