XTX Topco Ltd Invests $417,000 in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 880 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $417,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. My Legacy Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Watsco by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 687 shares of the construction company's stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC raised its position in Watsco by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $567,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Watsco by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 754 shares of the construction company's stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in Watsco by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,686 shares of the construction company's stock worth $799,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 7,692 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,645,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com cut shares of Watsco from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James began coverage on shares of Watsco in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Watsco in a research note on Monday, April 14th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $515.00 price target for the company. Finally, Mizuho set a $490.00 price objective on shares of Watsco in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $480.83.

Watsco Price Performance

WSO traded up $2.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $455.46. 324,445 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 255,575. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $498.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $498.73. Watsco, Inc. has a 52 week low of $439.08 and a 52 week high of $571.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.37 and a beta of 1.00.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.29 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. Watsco had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 17.59%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.17 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $3.00 dividend. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. This is a positive change from Watsco's previous quarterly dividend of $2.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. Watsco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.57%.

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.