Short Interest in Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) Decreases By 29.4%

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX - Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 726,700 shares, a decline of 29.4% from the February 28th total of 1,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 524,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 2.1% of the company's shares are short sold.

Comfort Systems USA Trading Down 9.0 %

Shares of NYSE FIX traded down $30.70 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $311.59. 642,963 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 566,273. Comfort Systems USA has a 12-month low of $272.92 and a 12-month high of $553.09. The firm has a market cap of $11.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.33 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $382.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The construction company reported $4.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.46. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. Comfort Systems USA had a return on equity of 35.28% and a net margin of 7.43%. As a group, analysts expect that Comfort Systems USA will post 16.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Remove Ads

Comfort Systems USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Comfort Systems USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. Comfort Systems USA's dividend payout ratio is 10.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Comfort Systems USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in Comfort Systems USA by 65.1% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 18,711 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $7,304,000 after acquiring an additional 7,379 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Comfort Systems USA during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,288,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 95.0% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 18,802 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $7,334,000 after purchasing an additional 9,160 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 53.0% during the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 15,718 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,136,000 after purchasing an additional 5,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $214,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on FIX shares. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Comfort Systems USA from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Sidoti upgraded shares of Comfort Systems USA from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $552.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Comfort Systems USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Comfort Systems USA from $577.00 to $471.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Comfort Systems USA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $530.75.

About Comfort Systems USA

Comfort Systems USA, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides mechanical and electrical installation, renovation, maintenance, repair, and replacement services for the mechanical and electrical services industry in the United States. It operates through two segments, Mechanical and Electrical. The company offers heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, as well as plumbing, electrical, piping and controls, off-site construction, monitoring, and fire protection.