Analysts Set Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) PT at $486.25

Shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $486.25.

Several research firms have recently commented on WSO. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Raymond James initiated coverage on Watsco in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Watsco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Watsco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Watsco in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Watsco by 57.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 90 shares of the construction company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Watsco in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in Watsco during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. 89.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Watsco Price Performance

Shares of WSO stock traded up $2.15 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $515.34. The stock had a trading volume of 165,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 244,979. Watsco has a fifty-two week low of $396.82 and a fifty-two week high of $571.42. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $495.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $497.75. The firm has a market cap of $20.82 billion, a PE ratio of 38.89 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Watsco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were paid a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Watsco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.51%.

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.