Watsco Inc. (WSO)

Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Shares Sold by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. reduced its position in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO – Free Report) by 49.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,005 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,947 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Watsco were worth $859,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Watsco by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,267 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $479,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of Watsco by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 2,589 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp increased its position in shares of Watsco by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,989 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $751,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Watsco by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 142,955 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $53,997,000 after buying an additional 568 shares during the period. Finally, Girard Partners LTD. lifted its position in Watsco by 4.6% in the third quarter. Girard Partners LTD. now owns 4,273 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,614,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Analysts Set New Price Targets WSO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of Watsco in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Watsco from $420.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $404.25. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WSO Insider Buying and Selling at Watsco In other news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 774 shares of Watsco stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.85, for a total transaction of $366,759.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $838,714.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 774 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.85, for a total transaction of $366,759.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $838,714.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John Alexander Macdonald sold 5,334 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.41, for a total value of $2,487,830.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 12.86% of the company’s stock. Watsco Stock Performance NYSE:WSO opened at $477.62 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $19.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.74 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Watsco, Inc. has a 52 week low of $315.17 and a 52 week high of $488.70. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $435.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $411.27. Watsco (NYSE:WSO – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.26 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. Watsco had a return on equity of 19.26% and a net margin of 7.03%. Watsco’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.83 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Watsco Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $2.70 per share. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 12th. This is a boost from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.45. Watsco’s payout ratio is 83.08%. Watsco Profile (Free Report) 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.