103 Shares in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) Acquired by Atala Financial Inc

Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 103 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSO. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Watsco by 0.7% in the third quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 2,999 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Watsco by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 687 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC boosted its holdings in Watsco by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $567,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Watsco by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 754 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in Watsco by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,686 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Watsco Trading Up 3.4 %

WSO stock opened at $508.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.38 and a beta of 0.92. Watsco, Inc. has a twelve month low of $393.88 and a twelve month high of $571.42. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $489.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $494.99.

Watsco (NYSE:WSO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.13 by $0.24. Watsco had a return on equity of 17.59% and a net margin of 7.04%. The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Research analysts predict that Watsco, Inc. will post 14.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Watsco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were issued a dividend of $2.70 per share. This represents a $10.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.21, for a total transaction of $5,589,293.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 12.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WSO. Raymond James began coverage on Watsco in a report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Northcoast Research began coverage on Watsco in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Loop Capital upped their price target on Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $486.25.

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.