Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX - Free Report) in a research note released on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $524.00 price objective on the construction company's stock.

Separately, StockNews.com raised Comfort Systems USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Comfort Systems USA currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $376.00.

Comfort Systems USA Stock Performance

NYSE FIX traded up $5.88 on Friday, hitting $445.29. The stock had a trading volume of 193,055 shares, compared to its average volume of 383,241. The company's 50-day moving average is $395.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $346.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market cap of $15.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10 and a beta of 1.13. Comfort Systems USA has a one year low of $185.83 and a one year high of $474.62.

Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The construction company reported $4.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.97 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. Comfort Systems USA had a return on equity of 32.74% and a net margin of 7.18%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 31.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.74 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Comfort Systems USA will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Comfort Systems USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.31%. This is a boost from Comfort Systems USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Comfort Systems USA's payout ratio is 9.18%.

Insider Activity at Comfort Systems USA

In other Comfort Systems USA news, Chairman Franklin Myers sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.18, for a total transaction of $4,682,160.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 106,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,553,389.64. The trade was a 10.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Brian E. Lane sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $448.88, for a total transaction of $6,733,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 204,205 shares in the company, valued at $91,663,540.40. This trade represents a 6.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 41,591 shares of company stock valued at $16,625,615 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Comfort Systems USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Comfort Systems USA by 61.2% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,725 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $548,000 after buying an additional 655 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 3.4% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 27,548 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $8,753,000 after acquiring an additional 912 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Comfort Systems USA during the first quarter worth about $65,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Comfort Systems USA by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 34,625 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,003,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Comfort Systems USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $313,000. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.