Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,573.6667.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on FIX shares. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,310.00 price target on shares of Comfort Systems USA in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,611.00 price objective on Comfort Systems USA in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Comfort Systems USA from $1,200.00 to $1,800.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Zacks Research raised Comfort Systems USA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Comfort Systems USA in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st.

Comfort Systems USA Stock Performance

Shares of FIX opened at $1,412.42 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $49.67 billion, a PE ratio of 48.87 and a beta of 1.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,289.25 and a 200-day moving average of $1,038.42. Comfort Systems USA has a one year low of $276.44 and a one year high of $1,500.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The construction company reported $9.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.75 by $2.62. Comfort Systems USA had a net margin of 11.23% and a return on equity of 48.52%. The company had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.09 EPS. Comfort Systems USA’s quarterly revenue was up 41.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Comfort Systems USA will post 16.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Comfort Systems USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.70 dividend. This is an increase from Comfort Systems USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Comfort Systems USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Franklin Myers sold 8,636 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,472.56, for a total value of $12,717,028.16. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 73,995 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $108,962,077.20. This represents a 10.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Brian E. Lane sold 9,365 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,453.12, for a total transaction of $13,608,468.80. Following the sale, the insider owned 171,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $249,243,501.76. This represents a 5.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 37,288 shares of company stock valued at $53,677,038. 1.59% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comfort Systems USA

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FIX. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new stake in shares of Comfort Systems USA in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Comfort Systems USA during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its stake in Comfort Systems USA by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 30 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Comfort Systems USA during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Comfort Systems USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Comfort Systems USA

Comfort Systems USA, Inc is a U.S.-based mechanical contracting company that provides a range of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) services to commercial, industrial and institutional customers. The company focuses on the design, installation, maintenance and repair of HVAC systems, and it supports projects from initial engineering and system selection through long-term service agreements and upgrades.

Its service offerings include new construction and retrofit installations, preventive and corrective maintenance, emergency repair, energy management and building automation systems.