Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Buys 678 Shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 53,206 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 678 shares during the quarter. Watsco accounts for approximately 1.3% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $25,214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WSO. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Watsco by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $779,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Watsco by 3.0% during the fourth 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 during the period. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in Watsco by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 5,499 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,606,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares during the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in Watsco in the 4th quarter valued at $264,000. Finally, Summit Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Watsco by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 710 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Watsco in a report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $486.25.

Watsco Stock Up 1.8 %

WSO opened at $520.95 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $496.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $499.41. Watsco, Inc. has a twelve month low of $396.82 and a twelve month high of $571.42. The company has a market capitalization of $21.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.32 and a beta of 1.00.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.13 by $0.24. Watsco had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 17.59%. The company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This is a boost from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.70. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Watsco’s payout ratio is 81.51%.

Watsco Company 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.