Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Shares Sold by LaFleur & Godfrey LLC

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC trimmed its position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,634 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,642 shares during the quarter. Watsco makes up approximately 2.5% of LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $18,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSO. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 32.2% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,258 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,094,000 after buying an additional 1,038 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 40.6% during the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,217 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,582,000 after buying an additional 929 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Watsco by 3,571.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $560,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in Watsco by 1.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 64,758 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $31,853,000 after buying an additional 1,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Interval Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Watsco during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,740,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total transaction of $5,589,293.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 12.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Watsco Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of WSO stock opened at $496.92 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $508.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $492.50. The company has a market cap of $20.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.40 and a beta of 0.95. Watsco, Inc. has a twelve month low of $373.33 and a twelve month high of $571.41.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.73 by ($0.51). The business had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.77%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.35 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Watsco, Inc. will post 12.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $2.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Watsco’s payout ratio is presently 83.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James started coverage on Watsco in a research note on Friday. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on Watsco in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $488.33.

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.