Natixis Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 88,852 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,863 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $43,705,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WSO. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Watsco by 1.9% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 16,773 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,246,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Watsco by 7.1% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 1,803 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $779,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Watsco by 4.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,411,894 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,473,836,000 after buying an additional 146,305 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Watsco by 32.5% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 1,633 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $705,000 after buying an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its position in Watsco by 66.7% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 500 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Stock Down 1.0 %

WSO stock opened at $520.74 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $492.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $482.70. The stock has a market cap of $21.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.24 and a beta of 0.88. Watsco, Inc. has a 52-week low of $373.33 and a 52-week high of $545.49.

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

Watsco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 16th were paid a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 16th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Watsco’s payout ratio is presently 83.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird reduced 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Watsco from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st.

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.