Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. Makes New $148,000 Investment in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO)

Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Watsco, Inc. (NYSE:WSO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 313 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $148,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Watsco by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,733 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,362,000 after buying an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Watsco by 6.6% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 39,679 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $18,381,000 after acquiring an additional 2,458 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Watsco by 70.5% in the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,076 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $498,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Watsco by 213.2% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 32,972 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $15,903,000 after purchasing an additional 22,446 shares during the period. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Watsco by 60.7% during the 2nd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 6,497 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,010,000 after purchasing an additional 2,455 shares in the last quarter. 89.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Watsco news, EVP Barry S. Logan sold 10,998 shares of Watsco 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 12.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on WSO shares. 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 dropped their price objective on shares of Watsco from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of Watsco in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Watsco has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $488.33.

Watsco Stock Performance

NYSE:WSO opened at $505.84 on Thursday. Watsco, Inc. has a 52-week low of $373.33 and a 52-week high of $571.41. The company has a market cap of $20.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.09 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $506.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $492.88.

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

Watsco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $2.70 dividend. This represents a $10.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Watsco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.46%.

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.