B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Invests $10.69 Million in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 21,723 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $10,685,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG owned 0.05% of Watsco as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 10,298 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,066,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 2,530 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,244,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 2,999 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,475,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 329.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 249 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $122,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 103,144 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $50,734,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.71% of the company's stock.

Watsco Stock Performance

Shares of Watsco stock traded up $6.22 on Tuesday, hitting $533.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 188,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 283,130. Watsco, Inc. has a 1 year low of $373.33 and a 1 year high of $545.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $493.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $483.20. The company has a market capitalization of $21.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.19 and a beta of 0.88.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.35 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 16th were issued a $2.70 dividend. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 16th. Watsco's payout ratio is 83.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WSO shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Watsco from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note 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.