Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Acquires Shares of 5,534 Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,534 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,623,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WSO. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its position in Watsco by 195.2% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 3,973 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 2,627 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 682.4% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 4,092 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,013,000 after purchasing an additional 3,569 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Watsco by 4.8% during the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,233 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Watsco by 3.5% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 16,029 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,828,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario raised its position in Watsco by 57.1% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 1,101 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $542,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.71% of the company’s stock.

Watsco Trading Down 5.4 %

WSO opened at $492.55 on Friday. Watsco, Inc. has a 12-month low of $396.82 and a 12-month high of $571.42. The company has a market cap of $19.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.17 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50 day moving average is $496.68 and its 200 day moving average is $499.36.

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

Watsco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $3.00 per share. This is a boost from Watsco’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.70. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Watsco’s payout ratio is presently 81.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Watsco in a report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Watsco from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Watsco from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $486.25.

Watsco Company 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.