Caledonia Investments PLC Buys 25,000 Shares of Watsco, Inc. $WSO

Caledonia Investments PLC boosted its stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 219,427 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares during the quarter. Watsco accounts for 8.7% of Caledonia Investments PLC’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Caledonia Investments PLC owned approximately 0.54% of Watsco worth $88,706,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Watsco by 6.1% in the third quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 4,688 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,895,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. Fullcircle Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Watsco by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC now owns 686 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Watsco by 133.5% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 474 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $190,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Watsco by 8.7% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,675 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SlateStone Wealth LLC boosted its position in Watsco by 5.8% during the third quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 2,542 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,028,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Watsco Stock Performance

NYSE WSO opened at $421.05 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $364.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $380.57. The company has a market cap of $17.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.89 and a beta of 1.04. Watsco, Inc. has a one year low of $323.05 and a one year high of $535.40.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The construction company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter. Watsco had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 16.48%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th were issued a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 16th. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 93.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Watsco in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Watsco in a research note on Monday, January 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $370.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Watsco from $460.00 to $370.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wolfe Research set a $349.00 price objective on shares of Watsco in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Watsco from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $404.14.

Watsco Company Profile

Watsco, Inc is the largest distributor of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) equipment, parts and supplies in the United States. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, the company operates a network of more than 600 branches across the continental U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Watsco serves residential and commercial contractors by providing essential components for climate control systems, including air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps, coils, refrigerants, controls and electrical and piping supplies.

Founded in 1947, Watsco has grown from a single regional distributor into an industry leader through a combination of organic expansion, acquisitions and strategic partnerships with original equipment manufacturers such as Carrier, Trane, Goodman and Lennox.