Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX) in a research report sent to investors 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 report on Saturday, October 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $376.00.

Comfort Systems USA Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of FIX traded up $5.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $445.02. The stock had a trading volume of 284,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 383,818. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business’s fifty day moving average is $398.73 and its 200 day moving average is $347.84. Comfort Systems USA has a 52-week low of $185.83 and a 52-week high of $474.62. The firm has a market cap of $15.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.05 and a beta of 1.13.

Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The construction company reported $4.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.97 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 31.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.74 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Comfort Systems USA will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Comfort Systems USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. This is a positive change from Comfort Systems USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Comfort Systems USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO William George III sold 5,845 shares of Comfort Systems USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.16, for a total value of $1,941,475.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 55,099 shares in the company, valued at $18,301,683.84. The trade was a 9.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 204,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 worth $16,625,615 over the last 90 days. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Comerica Bank grew its holdings in Comfort Systems USA by 34.5% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 103,730 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $32,956,000 after buying an additional 26,616 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Comfort Systems USA in the 1st quarter valued at $971,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,484,000. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Comfort Systems USA by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 99,553 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,833,000 after buying an additional 14,090 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA during the 3rd quarter worth $1,327,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Comfort Systems USA Company Profile

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.