Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Has $26.04 Million Stock Position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 52,528 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,058 shares during the quarter. Watsco accounts for approximately 1.5% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.13% of Watsco worth $26,038,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WSO. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 10.6% during 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Watsco by 5.2% during 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 buying an additional 62,041 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in shares of Watsco by 1.2% during the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 801,152 shares of the construction company's stock worth $371,126,000 after buying an additional 9,141 shares in the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 2.0% in the third quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 582,500 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $286,520,000 after acquiring an additional 11,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 393,032 shares of the construction company's stock worth $182,068,000 after acquiring an additional 6,320 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.71% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of Watsco in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Watsco presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $491.25.

Watsco Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of WSO stock traded down $5.87 on Wednesday, hitting $537.12. The stock had a trading volume of 78,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 279,497. The firm has a market cap of $21.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.98 and a beta of 0.92. Watsco, Inc. has a twelve month low of $373.33 and a twelve month high of $571.41. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $508.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $488.93.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $2.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.35 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect 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 was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 16th were issued a dividend of $2.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 16th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Watsco's payout ratio is 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.