Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Shares Acquired by Running Oak Capital LLC

Running Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,659 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,135 shares during the quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $13,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Watsco by 213.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 32,972 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,903,000 after acquiring an additional 22,446 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp boosted its holdings in Watsco by 60.7% in the 2nd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 6,497 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,010,000 after acquiring an additional 2,455 shares during the period. AXA S.A. boosted its holdings in Watsco by 33.6% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 34,894 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $16,164,000 after acquiring an additional 8,775 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. grew its position in Watsco by 400.0% in the second quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,000 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Watsco during the second quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Watsco news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 12.86% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Price Performance

NYSE WSO opened at $494.93 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.25 and a beta of 0.95. Watsco, Inc. has a 12 month low of $373.33 and a 12 month high of $571.41. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $505.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $493.11.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.73 by ($0.51). The company had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. Watsco had a return on equity of 17.77% and a net margin of 6.99%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.35 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Watsco, Inc. will post 13.03 EPS for the current year.

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Watsco’s payout ratio is 83.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WSO shares. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of Watsco in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Raymond James assumed coverage on Watsco in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $488.33.

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.