Vantage Investment Partners LLC Has $12.42 Million Position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Vantage Investment Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,205 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 794 shares during the period. Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $12,418,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WSO. FMR LLC increased its position in Watsco by 10.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,624,159 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,782,651,000 after acquiring an additional 346,470 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Watsco by 48,984.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 233,643 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $114,924,000 after purchasing an additional 233,167 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Watsco by 2,128.1% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 107,463 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $52,880,000 after purchasing an additional 102,640 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Watsco by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,173,762 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $577,350,000 after purchasing an additional 65,846 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Watsco by 9.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 704,330 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $345,783,000 after buying an additional 63,254 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE:WSO opened at $489.15 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $504.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $493.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.75 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80 and a beta of 0.95. Watsco, Inc. has a 12-month low of $373.33 and a 12-month high of $571.41.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

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 of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.46%.

Insider Activity at Watsco

In other Watsco news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total transaction of $5,589,293.58. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 12.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WSO. Northcoast Research started coverage on Watsco in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Raymond James started coverage on Watsco in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.