Knowledge Leaders Capital LLC Has $509,000 Stock Holdings in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Knowledge Leaders Capital LLC trimmed its position in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,188 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 102 shares during the period. Knowledge Leaders Capital LLC’s holdings in Watsco were worth $509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WSO. Hartford Financial Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 53.1% during the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 75 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 2,693 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 35.0% in the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 108 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 53.8% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 80 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Watsco by 44.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 98 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Watsco Stock Performance

Watsco stock traded down $0.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $443.21. 277,114 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 313,812. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $412.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $399.76. Watsco, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $315.17 and a fifty-two week high of $451.29. The stock has a market cap of $17.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.09 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 1.47.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by ($0.09). Watsco had a return on equity of 19.26% and a net margin of 7.03%. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.83 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a $2.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. This is a boost from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.45. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Watsco from $420.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of Watsco in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $404.25.

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.