Fiducient Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 3,873 Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Fiducient Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 3,873 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,835,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WSO. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in shares of Watsco by 32.2% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,258 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,094,000 after buying an additional 1,038 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 5.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 51,590 shares of the construction company's stock worth $25,645,000 after purchasing an additional 2,738 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Watsco by 9.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 464,061 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $228,263,000 after purchasing an additional 41,845 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in Watsco during the fourth quarter worth about $10,446,000. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc grew its holdings in Watsco by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 139,157 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $65,966,000 after buying an additional 18,279 shares during the period. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Watsco Trading Up 2.0 %

WSO traded up $9.94 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $507.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 272,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,156. Watsco, Inc. has a twelve month low of $396.82 and a twelve month high of $571.42. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $500.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $499.23. The stock has a market cap of $20.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.31 and a beta of 1.00.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 17.59%. Sell-side analysts expect that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. This is a boost from Watsco's previous quarterly dividend of $2.70. Watsco's payout ratio is presently 90.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WSO. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Watsco in a report on Friday, January 17th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Watsco in a research report on Monday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $515.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Watsco has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $492.00.

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.