Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Shares Acquired by Venturi Wealth Management LLC

Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 865 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $410,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of Watsco by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 5,212 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,564,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Watsco by 139.5% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 527 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Watsco by 48,984.7% during the third 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. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Watsco in the third quarter worth $397,000. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in Watsco by 1.7% during the third quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 7,356 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,618,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Watsco news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the business’s 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 12.86% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Stock Performance

WSO stock opened at $515.53 on Friday. Watsco, Inc. has a 1 year low of $377.92 and a 1 year high of $571.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.91 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $484.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $491.92.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.13 by $0.24. Watsco had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 17.61%. The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a dividend of $2.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James began coverage on shares of Watsco in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of Watsco in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. 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 stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $495.00.

Watsco Company 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.