Empowered Funds LLC Buys 664 Shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,695 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 664 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Watsco were worth $2,699,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WSO. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Watsco by 10.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,624,159 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,782,651,000 after acquiring an additional 346,470 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Watsco by 48,984.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 233,643 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $114,924,000 after purchasing an additional 233,167 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in Watsco by 2,128.1% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 107,463 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $52,880,000 after purchasing an additional 102,640 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Watsco by 5.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,173,762 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $577,350,000 after purchasing an additional 65,846 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Watsco by 9.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 704,330 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $345,783,000 after purchasing an additional 63,254 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on Watsco in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Raymond James initiated coverage on Watsco in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $488.33.

Watsco Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE WSO traded up $8.71 during trading on Monday, hitting $485.21. 429,674 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 186,186. The company has a market cap of $19.59 billion, a PE ratio of 37.50 and a beta of 0.95. Watsco, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $373.33 and a fifty-two week high of $571.41. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $484.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $491.17.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th were paid a dividend of $2.70 per share. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. Watsco's payout ratio is 83.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total transaction of $5,589,293.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 12.86% of the company's stock.

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.