Barclays PLC Sells 74,457 Shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Barclays PLC decreased its position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 384,412 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 74,457 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.95% of Watsco worth $189,084,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Watsco by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,624,159 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,782,651,000 after buying an additional 346,470 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Watsco by 5.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,252,822 shares of the construction company's stock worth $616,357,000 after acquiring an additional 62,041 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 65,846 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in Watsco by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 801,152 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $371,126,000 after purchasing an additional 9,141 shares during the period. Finally, Markel Group Inc. raised its holdings in Watsco by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 582,500 shares of the construction company's stock worth $286,520,000 after purchasing an additional 11,250 shares in the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WSO shares. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on Watsco in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watsco

In other news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were 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 accessible through this hyperlink. 12.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Watsco Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of WSO stock traded down $1.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $465.23. 207,935 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 273,622. The company's 50-day moving average price is $510.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $491.94. The company has a market cap of $18.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.95 and a beta of 0.95. Watsco, Inc. has a 12 month low of $373.33 and a 12 month high of $571.41.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 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 business had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.35 EPS. The company's revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $2.70 per share. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Watsco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.46%.

Watsco 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.