Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Position Increased by Fulcrum Capital LLC

Fulcrum Capital LLC lifted its position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 671 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 52 shares during the quarter. Fulcrum Capital LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Watsco during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $372,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Watsco in the second quarter worth $61,000. Choreo LLC purchased a new position in shares of Watsco during the second quarter valued at $310,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in Watsco by 9.1% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 2,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Watsco by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,733 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,362,000 after acquiring an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watsco

In other Watsco news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the business’s 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 12.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on WSO shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of Watsco in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock.

Watsco Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of WSO stock traded up $12.67 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $476.53. The stock had a trading volume of 88,022 shares, compared to its average volume of 245,935. The firm has a market cap of $19.24 billion, a PE ratio of 36.83 and a beta of 0.95. Watsco, Inc. has a one year low of $373.33 and a one year high of $571.41. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $510.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $491.94.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.73 by ($0.51). Watsco had a return on equity of 17.77% and a net margin of 6.99%. The company had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a $2.70 dividend. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.46%.

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.